The Mystery of the Missing HyperDrive Element
by samcarter2
Summary: This story is based on my Everett/Missy universe, and the group of the characters that went to Altera at the end of The Best-Laid Plans will feature prominently in this story.
1. Chapter 1

The Mystery of the Missing Hyper-Drive Element – Chapter 1

A/N: Yes, it's a new story from me. Finally! This one is set in my Everett/Missy universe, and the group that went to Altera at the end of The Best-Laid Plans will be prominent in this story. Now, this first chapter is pure fluff, but I promise, there will be lots of intrigue. Please read and review and let me know what you think. On with the story!

Squeals of excitement greeted Dr. Melissa Young as she and her friend Dr. Lisa Greer opened the back door of the home they lived in with their friends and family from Earth. Two young children, a boy and a girl, ran up to her. The girl, whose name was Kathryn, but who was called Katie, greeted her mother. "Hi Mama!" She motioned to the tray Lisa was carrying, "Is that our cake?" indicating herself and her twin brother Matthew.

Missy smiled at her daughter. "It is….munchkin. Are….you…ready…for your…..party?"

The two children jumped up and down excitedly. "Yes Mama." Katie motioned to the people in the yard. "Everyone's here, and baby Livvy is awake." She pointed to the blonde woman walking towards them wearing a baby sling. "Aunt TJ said we wait for you."

Lieutenant Tamara McDonald greeted Melissa and Lisa telling Melissa, "Your husband has had all kinds of trouble keeping them corralled. Apparently, someone told them how good chocolate was." She turned and gave the four men who had come up behind her a mock glare. "I wonder who that was."

Her husband, Mac, held up his hands. "I had nothing to do with it."

"Neither did I," said Ron Greer, an African-American man who was married to Lisa. "But I know who did." He pointed to the older man with shaggy brown hair. "It was Grandpa Nick."

Everyone standing there gave Dr. Nicholas Rush withering glares until he acquiesced, answering them in his Scottish brogue, "I admit it. It was me. I thought the little lass and lad should know what kind of treat they were getting."

Missy grinned at the man who was like a father to her. "It's okay…Nick." She asked her husband, Everett, who was standing next to him, "Were they…that bad?"

Smiling tenderly at his wife, Ev replied, "Naah, they were fine, honey." He motioned to the older woman who had walked up to them. "Linda and I had them running races to get the wiggles out."

"That's good." The slender brunette woman smiled at her friends and family who all lived together on the planet Altera. "So…who wants…to get…this show on…the road?"

Matthew and Katie both shrieked with excitement. "Me Mama! Me!"

As Melissa and Lisa took the cake and other refreshments over to the table that had been set up outside, the young mom reflected on everything that had happened in the year since her children had been born. Shortly after their birth on a planet near the Alteran spaceship Destiny where they had been marooned after coming through the ship's stargate from their own galaxy, they and their other crewmates had met a group of present-day Alterans. These Alterans had enabled them to dial the ship's stargate to their own planet, and people from Earth had come through to negotiate an alliance. Unscrupulous people had also come through the gate, and in their subsequent attempts to sabotage the negotiations, several people had been injured, some more severely than others. The injuries Missy had sustained to her brain continued to affect her although she had made significant progress through her therapy. After the saboteurs had been captured, Everett had been offered the chance to be Earth's ambassador to Altera. He had accepted, and he, Missy, and their children as well as their friends had all come to Altera. She was startled out of her reverie by her husband's hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, he smiled at her. "Are we going to have birthday cake first or open presents?"

Missy grinned. "I…think…we…should sing… and…have cake…first. If we…don't, the…kids will…riot."

"I think you're right." He called for everyone's attention. When the group was quiet, Everett began speaking. "Today is an important day for a couple of reasons. First, it is the nine-month anniversary of our arrival on Altera, a day which changed the history of two planets in two different galaxies." Everyone clapped and cheered enthusiastically. "Second, and most important…" He smiled at his children. "It is Matthew and Katie's birthday. So, without further adieu, let's begin the party!"

The group began singing Happy Birthday. "Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Katie and Matthew! Happy Birthday to you!" When the song was done, Everett and Melissa each lifted a child where they could see the cake and candles with their father saying, "Okay munchkins, time to make a wish and blow out the candles."

Katie and Matthew both looked at the cake with interest, their parents, and then at each other communicating in the silent way that twins have. They blew out the candles, and each grinned with satisfaction while the rest of the group clapped and whistled. Katie asked her father "Is it time for cake now?"

"It is." He looked at her curiously. "What was your wish?"

The young girl gazed at her father thoughtfully. "We wished the mean people would be nicer to Mama. Right, Matthew?"

Matthew nodded eagerly from where his mother was holding him. "Right, Katie."

After glancing at his wife questioningly and seeing her shrug, Ev responded to his daughter, "Why would you say someone was being mean to Mama?"

"Well," said Katie, "the people that came two days ago made her cry and said she was slow." She glanced at the adults who had all suddenly quieted and shook her head determinedly. "Mama not slow. Mama just Mama."

Everyone's eyes got wet as Missy leaned over and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Thank you…Katie."

"You're welcome. I want cake now." The children eagerly clambered down to the picnic table, and Melissa and Lisa started cutting the cake.

After everyone had been served the cake and an Alteran treat called glacies crepito, they sat around the table talking and laughing. Missy, who was sitting at one end of the table with Everett, Nicholas, and his wife Linda, looked up when Nick spoke to her, pointing to the children, "Lass, you're teaching them well."

The younger woman gazed at Katie and Matthew who were sitting on the other side of her husband. "I didn't…know…they had…heard…those people…from the…Scientific…Institute…the other day."

Nick wryly chuckled. "Well, it's probably lucky they didn't hear what I said. I don't think you and Everett would have wanted them learning that kind of language." He gave her a thoughtful gaze. "Lass, you are more than ready for this opportunity. Just because it takes you longer to get your thoughts out doesn't mean you don't understand the principles behind the new hyper-drive element. I thought that man was being quite ridiculous."

Lisa interrupted them. "I did too." She grinned at her friend. "You've worked hard on your therapy, and you deserve a chance to show them you understand the science." Looking over at Everett, she continued, "So, what was the final verdict? Are we gonna get to go?"

Putting his arm around his wife, Ev smiled gently at her before responding to Lisa. "Gaius and I went to see the Interior Minister and let our displeasure be known. And then, I think the Sovereign Leader's office got involved because I got a call this morning…" He impishly grinned at Missy. "Saying you could go!"

The women jumped up and down with excitement while Nick smiled in satisfaction. "Nice job, Ambassador."

Ev nodded in response. "Thank you, Doctor." He turned to his wife who had sat back down and softly stroked her cheek. "Does that make you happy, baby?"

His wife leaned over and kissed him. "It…does. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Everyone continued to eat and celebrate the children's birthday. After they finished, Ev and Missy brought out the presents which Matthew and Katie eagerly opened. Their favorite present was a silver ball and a matching stick which looked very similar to a baseball and bat from Earth. For the rest of the afternoon, they enjoyed practicing their hitting skills and especially enjoyed it when Ron and Mac pretended like they couldn't hit the ball. When their parents were putting them in bed at the end of the day, Matthew said, "I had fun, Mama."

Missy smiled at her son and tucked the blanket around him. "I'm glad…munchkin." She turned to Katie. "What about…you, Katie?"

"I did too," said Katie. She glanced at Everett. "Daddy, can we play stickball tomorrow?"

Leaning down and kissing her forehead, Ev replied, "Sure, munchkin, but you need to go to sleep now, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too."

Everett and Melissa quietly left the room after telling both of the children good night. They went to their room and got ready to go to sleep. A few minutes later, they were lying in each other's arms on the bed. Missy said, "A lot has…changed…in a…year."

Her husband replied, tightening his arms around her waist, "Yes, it has. I remember watching you deliver both of them and being scared to death. I remember Matthew dying and not knowing how I was going to go on."

"But then the…Alterans…came."

"Yes." He smiled gently at her. "And they brought our son back to life, and we got to come here. Even with everything, I have been so happy this year."

"Me too." Melissa tenderly kissed his lips. "You're…my soul…mate, Ev. You know that…right?"

"You're mine too. Are you excited about tomorrow?"

"Yes!" She grinned at him. "The new…element…is going…to change…what space…travel means. I…can't wait…to see…it."

"Very cool! Well, while you, Lisa, and Nick are doing that, I'm going to be getting a briefing on the Par Pro Aulum terrorist group. You would think they wouldn't have those kinds of problems here, but, in some ways, Altera is not a whole lot different from Earth."

"You're…right. Who is…gonna watch…the kids?"

"Linda and TJ. They'll be fine." Ev smiled at her reassuringly as he pulled her close to him once more. "Now, how about we focus on each other?"

"I'd like…that."

They began kissing each other passionately. Everett edged the straps of her gown off her shoulders and her gown off the rest of her body after which Missy lifted her husband's t-shirt over his head and slid his boxers down his hips. When they were both naked, he gazed at her in wonder. "You are so amazing. I want you."

"I want…you too."

Getting on top of her, he slid his hardened length into her, and the two of them began making love with the feelings and passion that had been there for many years. It didn't take long for something to start building in both of them. Ev gazed down at his wife almost overwhelmed by his feelings of love and tenderness for her. "Missy, I'm gonna…"

"Me too, me too!"

They each then had a release, and Everett tumbled off the top of Melissa. He cradled her in his arms. "That was amazing, honey. I love you."

"I love…you too. Are you…ready for…bed?"

"I am." He reached over and turned off the light. "Sweet dreams, Missy. See you in the morning."

"Good night, Ev."

He placed his arms around her protectively, and they drifted off to sleep content in their love for each other and their family.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Mystery of the Missing Hyper-Drive Element – Chapter 2**

**A/N: Forgot to put my disclaimer in the first chapter. I do not, and will not ever, own the SGU characters used in this story. The characters' names you are not familiar with though are original to me. Please read and review and let me know what you think. On with the story!**

The household was busy the next morning as everyone who was going out got ready to go. By half-past eight, Everett, Melissa, Lisa, and Nicholas were standing at the front entry-way of the house waiting for the government car that was coming to get them. The others, who were not going, were also standing there. Katie ran up to her mother, and motioning to Matthew, said, "We'll miss you, Mama. You come home soon?"

Everyone chuckled as Missy bent down and hugged both children. "Of course…I'll be…home soon. And…you'll get…to play…with…Grandma Linda…Aunt TJ…Uncle Mac, and…Uncle Ron."

"And baby Livvy, Mama. You forgot baby Livvy."

"That I did…munchkin." She looked at her friend who was carrying the aforementioned baby. When Olivia had been born six months after their arrival on Altera, she had been a welcome addition to the household, and she was just as loved and doted on as Matthew and Katie were. "Make sure…they…behave."

"They'll be fine," said TJ with a warm smile. "Go. Have fun. I know you've been looking forward to this."

"Thank you."

At that moment, the door chimed, and Everett answered it and greeted their driver. The ones who were leaving said farewell to those who were not, and moments later, Ev, Missy, Lisa, and Nicholas were sitting in a hover car driving towards the middle of the capitol city. Turning towards Ev, the driver, whose name was Erich, asked, "Where are we going today, Sir?"

Pointing to the other three, Everett responded, "We're taking them to the Scientific Institute first, and then you'll take me to the Senatorial building."

"Very good, Sir."

The car continued to drive to its first destination. A few minutes later, they pulled up to the front of a sleek modern-looking building. Ev leaned over and kissed his wife and then said to all of them, "All right, here's where you three get off. We'll be back to get you later."

"Thank you, Everett," said Nick.

"Yes…thank you…sweetheart," said Missy who kissed his cheek. She whispered in his ear, "I…would…say have…fun, but I…know…what you'll…be doing."

Ev smiled at her. "That's all right, honey. You have fun, okay?"

"Okay."

Nicholas, Lisa, and Missy then got out of the car and walked into the Institute. Once he saw the door close, Everett spoke to the driver. "Okay, go ahead and head for the Senate."

"Yes, Sir," replied Erich.

They drove over to the Senatorial building arriving a few minutes ahead of the meeting Everett was supposed to attend. When Erich pulled up to the front, the other man got out and walked to the entrance where he saw another man waiting for him. "Fair day, Gaius. How are you doing today?"

Gaius Aurelius, who had been one of the first Alterans Everett had met, greeted him. "Fair day, Everett. Are you ready for this briefing?"

"Of course. I heard there were some more attacks on the outer colonies last week."

"There were. Senator Giovanni doesn't think it will be long before something substantial happens here."

They walked into the building as they continued their conversation. "What does he think about increased security? I want to make sure my office and the house have enough coverage."

"Well, so far, they've only been attacking governmental offices so I would make sure your office had plenty, but I don't think you're going to need to worry about your house."

"Really?" He gave the man a penetrating look. "I'll make sure everyone at the house has a weapons refresher anyway."

"That's probably a good idea." They rounded the corner and walked towards the meeting room where people were milling around. Gaius put his hand on Everett's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "You might want to tell your driver to keep an eye on the car. There have been problems with car bombs too."

Ev hissed back at him. "What!" I just had Missy in the car with me!" The other man shook his head at him warningly, and he breathed deeply to calm himself. "All right." They walked into the room where several politicians were already waiting. He plastered a smile on his face and greeted the dark-haired man who came up to him. "Fair day, Senator."

Aleksander Giovanni greeted him. "Fair day, Ambassador Young." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Well, it will start going well once this group is in custody."

"Yes, it will. Are there any leads?"

The senator nodded his head briskly. "Several." He motioned to the chairs. "Go ahead and have a seat. The briefing will start shortly." Gaius and Ev sat down continuing to talk with the other people until Giovanni called for everyone's attention. "Fair day. I would like to begin the briefing on the Par Pro Aulum terrorist group." He began speaking with everyone listening intently.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Melissa, Lisa, and Nicholas had been taken to one of the main labs in the Scientific Institute by the head scientist, Dr. Roberto Monetti, and his assistant, Dr. Ariana Tiberius. Monetti said, "This element is going to change what space travel means to our planet." He addressed Dr. Rush. "I was not opposed to you and Dr. Greer coming, but…" He pointed to Missy and said in a haughty tone, "I didn't think there was any way she could possibly understand the science behind this. However, I was overruled."<p>

A furious expression came over Nick's face, but before he could say anything, Melissa laid her hand on his shoulder and addressed Monetti. "I know…what…this…element means. It…means…inter…galaxy travel…will…only take…weeks…instead…of months." She gazed at him angrily. "Don't…treat…me like…an…idiot!"

Nicholas and Lisa both gave Missy a thumbs up before Nick turned back to the scientist. "Okay, if we're done with the condescending tone, can we get started with the demonstration?"

Taken aback by Missy's and then Nick's statements, Roberto didn't speak for a moment. Then he gazed at them apologetically. "I am sorry, Dr. Rush, and to you as well, Dr. Young. The information I was given said your difficulties were more pronounced than they actually are."

"That is…all right," said Missy. "Everyone…makes…mistakes."

"Thank you." He motioned to his assistant who walked over to a wall-safe. She came back with two beakers and a small engine prototype and placed them on the table in front of him. "All right, today we are going to see how a miniscule amount of what we are calling Element X can make this prototype disappear and reappear on the other side of the room." He placed a small dropper in the first beaker, took it out and dropped the contents into the prototype after which he did the same thing with the second beaker. Once he had done that, they all watched in fascination as the prototype winked out of existence and reappeared on the other side of the room. "And it worked!"

"Congratulations, Dr. Monetti," said Rush.

"Thank you."

Lisa spoke up. "So, the contents of both beakers make up Element X?"

"They do. There is an ample supply of one of them on Altera, but the other one is only found on one of our moons. That's why it took so long to make this discovery. The other element was only found two years ago."

Melissa asked a question of her own. "I'm guessing…it will…take larger…amounts…of this…element…to power…ships for…inter galaxy…travel?"

"That is correct, Dr. Young, but not by much. The engineers who have been building our latest starship have made improvements in the engine design. It should be able to travel to Earth in less than six weeks."

"Excellent."

At that moment, an alarm sounded. Dr. Monetti instructed his assistant, "Go find out what that is."

"Yes Sir," replied Dr. Tiberius. She left the room, and minutes later, they heard her voice over the intercom. "Dr. Monetti to Lab 4. Dr. Monetti to Lab 4."

Roberto told the other three, "Well, I guess I'm needed. Please stay here until one of us comes back."

"Of course," said Nicholas. After the head scientist left, Nick walked over to where the two women were staring at the prototype in fascination. "That certainly is impressive, isn't it?"

"It is," said Lisa. "And the amounts of the element needed were even more impressive. Dale would have enjoyed seeing it." Dale Volker had been a member of their crew on the Destiny.

Missy smiled at her friends. "Yes, he…would have." She stared at the door concernedly. "I hope…everything…is okay."

"I'm sure it is." They continued to look at the element and prototype and read some of the information in the open file that was sitting on the table.

A few minutes later, Dr. Monetti and Dr. Tiberius walked back in with Monetti saying, "I think that problem has been taken care of. Do you have any questions?"

Nodding, Nicholas asked, "Does Element X power the engine while it's within a galaxy too or just when the ship is traveling from galaxy to galaxy?"

"Oh, we have traditional fuel sources for traveling within galaxies. This element will allow us to cut the travel time between galaxies from months to weeks."

"I understand."

They continued to discuss the element and its ramifications for the next few hours. Monetti then took them to the Institute's dining room where an elegant lunch had been set out. The three people from Earth met several other scientists who worked at the facility while eating and found out about the other types of projects they were working on. After being invited to come back another day, Monetti and Tiberius delivered them to the front entrance of the Institute. Dr. Rush said, "Thank you for having us here today. We would welcome a chance to see the next round of testing."

The women nodded in agreement with Melissa saying, "Yes, we…would. Just…let us…know…when."

"I will let the ambassador's office know," said Roberto with a cordial smile. "It has been a pleasure meeting all of you."

Seeing that their car had arrived, Nicholas, Melissa, and Lisa walked out of the Institute not noticing the changed expression on the other scientist's face. They got in the car where they were greeted by Everett. "So, how did it go?"

His wife responded excitedly. "It went…great! And we…were…invited…back."

"Very nice."

Nicholas grinned at them. "Yes, that element was everything they said it was going to be, and some of the other scientists had some intriguing projects going on. I think we have a new focus that we can contribute to."

"It seems like things went quite well." As the car drove back to the house and not realizing that things were about to change drastically, they continued to discuss all of the possibilities with Ev updating them on the information he had received.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Mystery of the Missing Hyper-Drive Element – Chapter 3**

**A/N: I do not, and will not ever, own the SGU characters used in this story. The characters' names you are not familiar with though are original to me. This chapter also ended up with an additional layer I wasn't expecting. Please read and review and let me know what you think. On with the story!**

Two days later, Everett walked into the house for the mid-day break and noticed the lack of activity. "Hello, is anyone home?" He noticed Nicholas coming out of the office. "Where is everyone?"

"Outside, I think. I've been working on a proposal for some scientific exchanges between Earth and Altera."

A clatter of noise interrupted them. Matthew and Katie came running in, their mouths stained red. "Daddy, Daddy, you're home!" They ran into his outstretched arms.

Picking the children up, Ev greeted them. "Hi munchkins. And what have we been eating?"

Katie replied, "We help Mama and Aunt Lisa pick fraga. And we got to eat some."

"That's right, Daddy," said Matthew.

Their father grinned at them. "And where is Mama?"

Before they could answer, a voice came from the entrance to the dining area. It was Melissa who said, "Right here…sweetheart." She walked up to her husband and gave him a kiss. "We've been…busy…all morning." When she motioned to Linda and Lisa, Everett could see baskets of the fruit that the children had sampled.

"Very nice." The group walked into the kitchen/dining area. "It looks like the garden is going to produce an ample harvest."

"I think so," said Lisa.

The door chime sounded, and Everett put the children down. "I'll get it." He went to the door opening it to see two members of the excolo force. "Fair day, gentlemen. May I help you?"

Looking at each other hesitantly, the older officer finally replied. "Fair day, Ambassador. We need to speak with your wife and with Dr. Lisa Greer."

"May I ask why?"

"I cannot say anything else until they are here."

Ev gazed at them in frustration. "All right." He called out, "Missy, Lisa, there are some people here that need to speak with you."

Once the two women had come back to the entry-way, the older officer spoke again. "Dr. Melissa Young, Dr. Lisa Greer, you are under arrest for the theft of Element X." He motioned to his younger colleague who pulled wrist restraints out of his bag.

"What! What the hell is going on?"

The other members of the household started speaking up with Lisa being the loudest. She motioned to Melissa and said, "We didn't do anything!"

Giving them a regretful look, the officer said, "There is evidence that says otherwise."

He began putting the restraints on Lisa before they were all distracted by a flying figure from a side door. It was Ron who said, "I would suggest you take your hands off of my wife." The other officer threw a punch at him, and before long, a full-scale fight had broken out. Mac and Nicholas came running in, and between them and Everett, managed to pull the other man off of the officers. Ron faced Ev, breathing heavily, and spoke in a tone reminiscent of when he had been his commander on the Destiny. "Sir, they want to take my wife and your wife too for something they didn't do."

Everett placed his hands on Ron's shoulders. "Ronald, I know they didn't do it. Let's make sure though we don't do anything to get us thrown off of Altera." When he saw the former sergeant nod, Ev turned back to the officers. "I'm sorry about that. What evidence is there exactly?"

The older officer held up an envelope. "We have a proeliator for their arrest. It is my understanding that their fingerprints were found at the crime scene. You can talk to the head officer when you come down there, but we need to take them now."

Turning back to his wife, Everett saw her standing next to Lisa with a look of fear on her face. He walked to her and took her hands in his as she said, "Everett…I didn't…do…anything. Neither…did Lisa."

"I know, honey," said Ev. He gently caressed her cheek. "I'm gonna call Gaius, and we'll come down there right away to get this straightened out. It's just a misunderstanding."

"Okay."

She hugged him close to her and then felt a tug on her pants leg. It was Katie who had tears coming down her face. "What's wrong, Mama? Why that man hurt Aunt Lisa?"

Melissa picked up her daughter. "It's…okay…Katie. Aunt Lisa…and…I have…to go…out…for a while. But…we'll be…back...soon."

"No Mama! That man hurt you too. Daddy protect you?" She gazed at her father.

Speaking up, Matthew said, "That's right, Mama. Daddy protect you." He reached his arms out for his father to pick him up.

After he had done so, Ev stared at his family for a long moment and then back at the officers. He motioned to the restraints. "Do we have to do that?"

The older officer gave him a sympathetic look. "No we don't, if they come willingly." He took the restraints off of Lisa.

"All right. Thank you." He reached out one arm for his daughter. "Okay, Katie, come to Daddy. The men are not going to hurt Mama."

Katie kissed her mother's cheek before leaning over and letting her father take her. "Okay Daddy."

When he was holding both children, he told them, "Hug Mama." They did so, and he put them down next to Linda who held both of their hands. Ev then wrapped his arms around his wife. "Missy, we'll meet you at the station shortly. I promise. I love you."

His wife tremulously smiled. "I love…you too."

She and Lisa, who had said good-by to Ron, walked out of the house and got in the officers' car. As the car backed out of the driveway and went towards the city, Missy whispered in Lisa's ear. "What's…going on?"

Lisa gave her a determined look. "I think we were framed. Are you okay?"

"We've…been…arrested. What…do you…think?"

Her friend wryly chuckled. "I hope Everett can straighten this out before Ronald goes nuts."

"Me too."

The car arrived at excolo headquarters, and the officers had the women get out. They went into the building, and the officers turned them over to the people in charge of the prison cells. Once the officers had left, the two guards leered at Melissa and Lisa. The first one, whose name was Brutus, said, "Oh look, Draco, we get to have some fun this afternoon."

Draco surveyed them closely, but then said, "We'd better not. One of them is Ambassador Young's mate."

"I don't care. I haven't had coitus in a long time, and we can use the memory suppressor on them. They won't remember anything to tell their mates."

"You're an idiot, Brutus. What if we put babies in their bellies? Then their mates would know."

Lisa faced Brutus determinedly. "You'd better listen to him. If you did something, you would have two very furious men after you."

Shaking his head, Brutus said, "You're under my control right now." He told Draco, "We'll put them in separate cells in the back where no one else is." The other man nodded and herded the women to the back of the cell block. When they arrived, Draco indicated for each of them to go into a cell. Lisa did so, but before Melissa could, Brutus, who had come up behind them, stroked her long dark hair and put his other arm around her cupping one of her breasts. "I think I'll keep this one with me. I don't care whose mate she is."

Cringing at his touch, Missy pulled away. "Don't…touch me!" She kneed him in the groin and tried to side step him to go back down the cell block.

Brutus howled in pain. "You little conia!" He twisted Melissa's arms behind her back with one arm and took something out of his pocket with the other hand. Then he threw her into the cell shooting her with what looked like a metal lightning bolt. She fell to the ground crackling with electricity. Slamming both doors shut, he gazed over at Lisa who was trying to get as close to her friend as she could. "Don't say a word, or I'll shoot you too." He turned back to Draco who was shaking his head. "What!"

The other man exclaimed, "Look what you've done now. We're both in trouble. That was Ambassador's Young's mate."

"You still don't get it! They've been accused of a crime. If they get convicted, they'll be with us, and their mates will have nothing to say about it. In fact, I'm going to go for long-term gain here. Go get the memory suppressor and the memory compeller."

An intrigued look came over Draco's face. "I think I know what you want to do. Be right back." He hurried off.

While Brutus was standing with his back to the cells, Lisa crawled over to the cell bars and reached out to take Missy's hand in hers. "Melissa, wake up. I think something bad is about to happen." Her friend's eyes opened, and she tried to talk. Seeing that it was a struggle, Lisa told her, "Don't talk." She then felt Missy writing in her hand. Once the other woman was finished, she said, "Did you mean to say, 'Tell Ev and kids love them if I don't make it.'?" Melissa gazed at her friend sadly and solemnly nodded. "All right. I will. You do the same if I don't make it—with Ron."

Missy nodded in agreement as Draco came hurrying back. When he reached Brutus, he said, "I got one set for each of them. Are we keeping them together while their memories' reset?"

"Yes," said Brutus. "That way if they both get released for some reason, no one will suspect anything, and neither will any of the female guards."

"Understood. Which one are we going to do first?"

"The one that had the nerve to kick me." They walked into Melissa's cell and easily lifted her weakly struggling body up. Brutus lifted her hair up and placed a device at the back of her neck. She gazed directly into his eyes while he said several sentences and then repeated them back to him in a flat tone of voice. Once he had done the same with a second device and placed her back on the ground, he glanced at Lisa whose eyes had widened in panic. "Oh yes, that will be your fate as well."

Lisa started yelling, "Help! Help! The guards are hurting us." No one came though because they were so far back in the cell block.

When Brutus and Draco came into her cell, Draco held her struggling body still while Brutus placed the devices at the back of her neck. After Lisa repeated the sentences he said to her in the same flat tone of voice and closed her eyes, he placed her on the ground and looked at Draco. "Ok, it's done. If they're convicted, they'll be under our control, and we will make the most money we have ever made."

"Very good." Draco clapped Brutus on the back. "I'll have to admit. You do have good ideas." They continued to gaze at the unconscious women and discuss their plans for them.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Mystery of the Missing Hyper-Drive Element – Chapter 4**

**A/N: I do not, and will not ever, own the SGU characters used in this story. The characters' names you are not familiar with though are original to me. Please read and review and let me know what you think. On with the story!**

Meanwhile, it had taken Everett a few minutes to get things settled at the house and to get in contact with the people he knew in Alteran government. He called Erich to come back with the car, and once he had arrived, Ev and Ronald told the others farewell and left to go to the excolo station. When they got there, Gaius Aurelius and Leopold Raletta, who worked in the Foreign Affairs office, met them. Gaius said, "I could not believe it when you called me. This has to be some kind of mistake."

"I agree," said Leopold. "Neither of your wives would be the type to commit this kind of crime."

"I'm glad you think so," said Ev. "I just left two very scared children at my house. Will I be able to bail the women out until the trial?

Giving him a curious look, Gaius asked, "Bail? What is bail? I don't understand that term."

"I don't understand it either," said Leopold.

"Bail," said Everett, "is when a sum of money is paid on behalf of someone accused of a crime. It is a promise that they will come back for the trial. You don't have that here?"

"No, the judge will decide on a sentence in two weeks. Usually, with crimes of theft, it can go from a warning to life imprisonment. If the theft is considered damaging to the planet, death can even be considered."

Ron spoke up. "Well, my wife didn't do it, and neither did his. I don't care to either lose her or visit her in a cell for the rest of her life."

"Well, let's see what the excolo officers have to say." The men hurried into the building and stopped at the front desk. Leopold greeted the clerk, "Fair day. Is Chief Ricardo available?"

The clerk answered him, "Of course, Sir."

He made a call to the back and moments later, a tall dark-haired man walked out and greeted him. "Fair day, Leopold. Fair day, Captain Aurelius." The chief gazed at Everett and Ronald curiously. "I don't believe we have met."

Leopold made the introductions. "Ricardo, this is Ambassador Everett Young of the planet Earth and a member of his staff Ronald Greer." He motioned to the jail cells. "You have their mates in custody for a crime they didn't commit."

Thinking for a moment, a light of recognition then dawned in the other man's eyes. "Young and Greer, I remember now. Dr. Melissa Young and Dr. Lisa Greer stole Element X. I was surprised we solved that crime so quickly."

"But they didn't do it," said Ev in an upset tone of voice.

"Sir, there is unequivocal proof that they did. Their fingerprints were found at the scene. Now, if they would tell us where they hid it, the judge might be lenient with their sentence."

Upset expressions came over Everett and Ronald's faces. "They didn't do it! There's no reason to ask for leniency!" He stopped for a moment, a thought coming to mind. "How did you have their fingerprints?"

"When they came to the Scientific Institute a few days ago, they had to leave them on file."

"Well, that's your answer then!" He pounded the counter with his fist. "Someone framed them! They haven't been back to the Institute since!"

"Why would someone frame them? They knew the potential of this element. It would be very easy to sell it on the black market especially to one of the terrorist groups like Par Pro Aulum."

Rolling his eyes because he couldn't believe the incompetence that was being displayed, Ev exclaimed, "You are rabidus! Someone from Par Pro Aulum probably stole it and framed them."

That started a furious argument between all of the men about the women's guilt. It lasted for several minutes with Everett not being sure they were going to get anywhere. Finally, they were interrupted by a loud voice. "Would all of…you…shut…the hell up?"

Ev gazed at the entrance to the cell block and saw his wife who was standing with a female officer. A look of relief came over his face. "Missy, are you okay?" She nodded and ran to him. After they had hugged and kissed each other, he glanced back at Ricardo who was reading a note the officer had given him. "Why was she released?"

The chief looked up when he heard the question. "This note is from the Scientific Institute. It instructs that Dr. Young be released, says there is no way she can be guilty because of her mental limitations."

"I see." He grinned at the pout he saw on his wife's face knowing that whoever had written the note didn't know what they were talking about. "What about Dr. Greer?"

"She will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Ronald made a sound of protest before Ev laid his hand on his shoulder. Ev then asked, "Who else can I talk to about this since you are being unreasonable?"

Ricardo gave him an indignant look. "The Department of Law Enforcement. But they won't change their minds either. If you'll excuse me…" He motioned to another officer who was waiting patiently.

"Fine."

After he had moved off, Everett turned to his wife and took her hands in his. "Are you really okay, Missy? How is Lisa? How did they treat you?"

Melissa hesitantly smiled. "I'm okay, Everett…and so…is Lisa." The tone of her voice changed to a flat cadence. "We were…just…helping…the other…prisoners …clean. Not…too bad."

A worried look came over his face. "Are you sure, honey? You sound different."

She shook her head to get it out of the fog it was in. "I'm sure…sweetheart. Just…want…to get…Lisa…out of there. Prison…is not…fun."

Wryly chuckling, he pulled her close to him. "I would think not." He motioned for the men to come around them. "I'm not sure what's going on."

Ronald interrupted him. "Everett, what are we gonna do about Lisa?"

"We're gonna see if the Department of Law Enforcement can help us." He looked at Leopold. "Was Ricardo right?"

Nodding solemnly, Leopold replied, "It is your best chance."

"All right. We will meet with them, and if that doesn't work, we'll solve the crime ourselves." Everyone nodded in agreement and discussed ideas as they left the excolo station.

Later that afternoon, back in the prison, Lisa and another prisoner named Clarissa had just finished cleaning a bathroom when they heard the bell summoning the prisoners to line up for meal-time. Clarissa, who was Lisa's new cellmate and a friendly sort, had taken Lisa under her wing and let her know how things were supposed to work. "We'd better hurry. The guards like to inspect us before we go to eat. If they like you, they might decide to become your patron and give you extra stuff..." She gave her a sideways glance. "If you do things for them, of course."

Lisa rolled her eyes as she caught the implication of what the other woman meant. "Not interested in that. I have a husband at home."

Shaking her head, Clarissa asked, "You do know, if you're found guilty, that won't matter, don't you? And things would go better for you if you had a patron."

"I'm not going to be found guilty because I didn't do it."

Clarissa gave her a knowing look, but wasn't able to say anything else because several guards came walking down the hall. Two of them stopped in front of Lisa and Clarissa with one of them saying, "Hello ladies. Clarissa, looks like you have a new friend."

Giving the man a flirtatious smile, she replied, "This is Lisa, Brutus. She just came in today."

Brutus observed Lisa carefully, but when she gave no indication of remembering him or Draco, he stroked her hair. "It's nice to meet you, Lisa. We need you to come and help us for a few minutes; then we'll take you to eat. Is that all right?"

Looking around after backing away from his touch, Lisa noticed several of the women being taken out of line and decided it wouldn't be advantageous to start a fight. "Sure, that's fine." She walked with Brutus and Draco to the next floor where she saw several rooms. They walked into one, and when she noticed what was in the room, she realized what it was they wanted. "Hey fellas, I don't think this is a good idea. Just take me back to dinner, and we'll pretend like this didn't…"

Grabbing her hair, Brutus yanked her back towards him. "I don't think so especially since they released your friend—the one I really wanted—so…" He motioned for Draco to shut the door, and it closed with a loud bang.

A few hours later, Brutus and Draco walked with Lisa back to the prison cells. Before Lisa stepped back into her cell where Clarissa was waiting, she turned to Brutus. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"You will." He touched her back in a familiar fashion and noted with satisfaction the way she arched into his touch. "Fair evening."

The men left after Lisa nodded in farewell, and the other woman greeted her. "I knew it! Brutus chose you! How was it?"

She took some protein bars out of her pockets. "It was not as bad as I thought. Look, he gave me extra food."

"Excellent!" Clarissa took some from her, and they began eating and talking about the different things that happened in the prison.


	5. Chapter 5

The Mystery of the Missing Hyper-Drive Element – Chapter 5

**A/N: I do not, and will not ever, own the SGU characters used in this story. The characters' names you are not familiar with though are original to me. Please read and review and let me know what you think. On with the story!**

* * *

><p>The following day Everett and Gaius went to a meeting with members of the Department of Law Enforcement. Cassius Scipio, who was the head of the department, sat at the table with a file in front of him. He said, "If I understand you correctly, Ambassador, your inquiry today is about the Element X theft."<p>

"It is," said Ev. "You have accused two people of committing the crime who didn't commit it – my wife, Dr. Melissa Young, and Dr. Lisa Greer. I believe they were framed by a member of the Par Pro Aulum group. I'm hoping you will allow an investigation of this possibility before the judge passes sentence."

"Yes," said Leopold Raletta, who was also attending the meeting. "The Sovereign Leader is interested in having this resolved as quickly as possible. He doesn't want relations with Earth damaged."

Scipio faced them gravely. "I understand that, but you all have to understand that I have a job to do. We have not actually found the element yet even though we found Dr. Young and Dr. Greer's fingerprints at the scene. If we can't find it, traveling to Earth by ship will be impossible in our lifetimes. Now, we know your mate has some mental limitations, and we are willing to accept that she may have been unduly influenced. That's why we let her go. Do you think Dr. Greer would have told her where they hid it?"

Trying to hide his impatience, Everett replied, with an edge to his voice, "But Dr. Greer didn't do it either! Are you going to let us investigate before sentence is pronounced?"

The other man stared at him for a long moment. "If you can find additional evidence before the two weeks are up, I would be willing to present it to the judge, but it would have to be obtained using your own resources. This terrorist group has thwarted us at every turn, and as there were two car bombings last night, we need to focus our investigation on them."

Ev, Gaius, and Leopold stared at the men around the table who had resolute expressions on their faces. "Fine. We can do that." He got up and pushed the chair under the table with a loud noise. "I will expect an apology though when this is done and over with." Turning, he left the room without waiting for a reply, and the other men followed him. When they were in the hallway, he asked them, "Can I expect help from you two, or do I have to do this totally on my own?"

"Of course I will help you, Everett," said Gaius. "You have become my friend over this past year, and friends help each other."

Leopold nodded briskly. "You will have it from me as well. I will pull as much from my department as I can. Scipio was right about one thing though. We need to find out who is in Par Pro Aulum and arrest them. After the car bombings last night, it has been made clear to many people what kind of damage they can cause on Altera."

"I understand that," said Everett. "But I am very sure that there is a connection between the people who framed Missy and Lisa and this group. If we can find it, we can shut them down for good."

"I agree," said Gaius. "How soon do you wish to start?"

"Now is as good a time as any."

They told Leopold farewell and got in the car to go back to the house. When they arrived a few minutes later, Ron met them at the door. "What did they tell you about Lisa?"

Ev touched his arm before motioning him towards the dining room. "I need to talk with everyone who's here except for whoever is looking after the children."

"All right."

They called out for the other members of the household, and before long, they were joined by Melissa, Nicholas, Mac, and TJ; Linda having taken the twins and Olivia upstairs. Once the seven of them were seated, Everett addressed the group. "The Department of Law Enforcement said we could investigate the possibility that Missy and Lisa were framed for the theft, but…."

"That's great!"

"We have to do it on our own, and we only have two weeks."

"What! That's not enough time!"

Everyone else added in their protests, and it was a few minutes before Ev could bring the group back to order. "Well, that's what we have. There is one good thing. I don't think they're gonna try and convict Missy of anything. Seem to be convinced she's not mentally capable of doing it."

His wife interrupted him, with a perturbed expression on her face. "I…am not…mentally limited. I…don't…know why…they think…that."

The group chuckled, and Everett reached out and squeezed her hand. "I know that, Missy." He smiled at her fondly. "But I do intend to clear yours and Lisa's names. You didn't do it, and I really believe if we can find the people who did, we'll be able to shut down Par Pro Aulum for good."

"I think you're right," said Mac.

"So do I," said Nick.

Ronald hit the table with his fist to get everyone's attention. "But how are we going to do that? And what about Lisa? I'm really worried about her being in that prison. Prisons aren't nice places, and she doesn't have any kind of experience with that kind of thing."

"I know," said Ev. He gazed at Gaius. "Do they have visitation at the prison?"

"They do," said the dark-haired Alteran. "For a few hours each morning. You can go and check on her tomorrow."

Nodding in gratitude, Ron said, "Thank you."

Everett then brought the meeting back to its main topic. "How do we want to start this?"

Touching his shoulder, Missy replied, "We need…to go to…the crime…scene…and look…for clues. Was the…element…being…kept at…the…Scientific…Institute?"

They all looked at Gaius who shook his head and said, "No, it was in the Science Annex next door."

"Could you…help us…gain access?"

Before he could answer, Ev gave his wife a reproving look. "I know that look, Missy Young. You are not going!"

"Why not? They…already…think…I'm…mentally…limited. No one…would…suspect me."

"Because the person who framed you might still be nosing around. That's why."

They bantered back and forth for a few moments before Gaius interrupted them. "Everett, I think it's a good idea. She's already been invited to the botany lab which is next door to the crime scene."

Ev snapped his fingers. "I had forgotten about that! It's a perfect opening for us."

"Exactly. It would be the perfect way to get her in."

"All right." He looked at his wife once more. "But Nick and I are gonna back you up. Any indication of trouble, and we'll get you out of there."

Melissa grinned at her husband. "Of course." She glanced at Gaius. "When was...the invitation…for? I had forgotten about it too."

"Tomorrow," replied Gaius, "but I was actually thinking of us going over there today right before it closed for the evening. You could pretend like you were lost and have someone direct you to the right place. Everett, you and Nicholas could go through the back door, and then all three of you would hide until the annex closed. At that point, Melissa, you could go and take a look in the physics lab. There is not a guard in the room anymore so you shouldn't have any trouble."

"Shouldn't is the word that could change at any moment," said Ev. "But that is why Nick and I are coming. All right, let's make sure we plan this out."

They spent the next few hours planning how they would get in the building. In the late afternoon, Everett, Nicholas, Gaius, and Melissa drove into the city and arrived at the Science Annex a few minutes later. Missy walked into the front of the building while the others drove around to the back. She saw the security desk and walked up to where the guard was sitting. "Fair day. Can you…tell me…where the…botany lab…is? I'm…attending…a demonstration tomorrow…and wanted to…make sure…I knew where…it was."

The guard, who had not had anything interesting happen all day, took notice of the slim dark-haired woman who was dressed in clothing that emphasized her figure. "Of course, Miss. Go down that hallway…" He pointed to a corridor to his right. "Make two right turns and then a left. The botany lab is there." A thought came to him. "Listen, the annex is about to close. If you wait for me, we can go out the back door together and go somewhere for dinner." He looked at her hopefully.

Inwardly rolling her eyes, but realizing she needed to keep up the act, Melissa flirtatiously winked at him. "Well that…would…depend on…how long…it would take…for you…to get there."

"It will take me thirty minutes to finish. I'll see you there."

"All right." She hurried down the hallway and quickly found the botany lab and then the physics lab. Opening the door, she walked in and started making a careful circuit of the room. A small piece of paper attracted her attention. When she bent down to pick it up, she was startled by a noise at the door. "What…" It was Ev and Nick. "What are…you doing…here? You…scared…the crap…out of me."

Everett gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry baby. I heard a noise and thought someone else was coming."

"That's…all right." She handed him the paper. "This is…all I…was able…to find."

Her husband gazed at it. "It looks like a bill of lading." He turned to Nicholas and pointed to the address. "Isn't that in the warehouse district?"

"It is," replied Nick. "And the bill itself is for the purchase of a secure box—one small enough for the element to be placed in."

Missy's eyes went wide with astonishment. "Do you…think…the element…might…still be there?"

An uncertain expression came over Ev's face. "Maybe, but I kind of doubt it. It's been three days. There might be another clue there though. We should take a look."

The other two nodded briskly with Melissa saying, "We should…make…sure…there's nothing else here. The guard…will be…back…here soon." She rolled her eyes at the men and grinned. "He thinks…I'm going…to dinner…with him."

Both of the men laughed. "I knew that would work." Everett hugged his wife close to him and tousled her hair. "I'm the only one you go to dinner with or anything else for that matter, right?"

"Exactly…sweetheart."

They hastily finished looking around the room, not finding anything else, and then hurried out the back door of the building. Once they were in Gaius' car, he turned to look at them. "It appears you were successful. Did you find anything that would help us?"

"We did," said Nick. He handed him the paper. "Isn't that address in the warehouse district?"

"It is. I know someone who works a block away. He can tell us about the company that rents the space. Do we want to go there now?" He started the vehicle and began driving.

Ev replied, "That would be great!" He glanced at his wife. "Is that okay with you, honey?"

She answered him in a flat tone of voice. "That's…fine."

Turning to her, he gave her a look of concern which was shared by the other men. "Missy, are you okay? I haven't been able to shake the feeling that something's wrong since you were released from prison yesterday."

Melissa shook her head to get it out of the fog it was in and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm ok…Ev. I just…find…myself…getting…preoccupied now. No…big deal."

"Okay." He put his arm around her. "You tell me though if you start feeling bad, all right?"

"I will."

They continued to drive over to the warehouse district. When they arrived, the four of them got out and went into the office where Gaius found his friend whose name was Augustus Petrovia. "Fair day, Augustus."

The middle-aged man smiled at them in welcome. "Fair day, Gaius. What can I do for you and your friends?"

"We were wondering about the company that is at this address." He handed him the paper. "Do you know anything about them?"

Augustus studied the paper for a moment before handing it back to him. "They only set up shop three months ago, and the whole time they were there, shipping vehicles used to come at the oddest hours."

"Do you know anyone there we could talk to?" asked Everett. "It's very important."

"No." Augustus shook his head. "They actually closed up shop three days ago. Took everything out and returned the keys to me since I own the building they were in."

The four visitors' eyes widened with astonishment as they knew this was when the robbery had occurred. Gaius gave his friend a thoughtful look. "Did you ever hear these people talk politics or about the government?"

"Not really…" He snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute. I remember hearing one of them talk about how Altera's resources should be shared equally among its population. They were going to have a meeting about it." Augustus went into his office and came back out with a pamphlet which he handed to Gaius. "I'll be right back." He went to help another person who had come in.

Opening the pamphlet, Gaius motioned for the others to gather around him. Once he had read the first few sentences, Ev said, "This is a recruitment pamphlet for Par Pro Aulum." He gazed at the other three. "I'm translating that right, aren't I?"

"You are," said Nick. "They're trying to increase their numbers on Altera. I wonder if the esteemed members of the Department of Law Enforcement know about these pamphlets." He rolled his eyes, and they all laughed.

Everett grinned at the joke, but then sobered. "Don't know, but this still doesn't give us what we want." Augustus walked back to them. "Did they leave anything in the building when they left?"

"They didn't. I'm sorry. Just talked about how all resources should be shared equally, and if Alterans weren't willing to do so voluntarily, they would be made to do so. Frankly, I found it insulting that he didn't think I helped people, and I told him I wasn't interested."

Gaius nodded in response. "We appreciate your help, Augustus. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Ev, Nicholas, Melissa, and Gaius then left and went back to the car. As he drove away, Gaius turned to the others and asked, "Ok, what's the next step?"

"Let's wait until we get back to the house," said Everett.

The drive was continued in silence, and they were walking back into the house a short while later. Mac greeted them. "TJ and Linda are giving the children baths, and Ron is using the punching bag in the gym." He motioned to the kitchen. "We put up dinner for you."

"Thank you." The ones who had just come in got the food out and served themselves plates. They went to sit in the dining room and began to eat. As they ate, Everett addressed the group. "I think we have plenty of circumstantial evidence against Par Pro Aulum."

"You're right," said Nicholas. Missy and Gaius nodded in agreement with them.

"Now, though, we need to get absolute proof. But I've run out of ideas. What do you all think?"

Missy said, "Well, sweetheart, I…have a…idea. You…won't…like it…though."

He raised his eyebrows. "And what would that be?"

"I'm thinking…it would…help our…case if we…could…found the…element…itself."

"It would."

She faced him directly. "You know…as well as…I do…that the…best way…to do that…is for…someone…to go…undercover."

Everett's eyes widened as he realized what she meant. "Uh, no, Missy Young, you are NOT going to do that!"

"Why not? The same…argument…from…earlier applies."

He gritted his teeth. "Because we don't know where their base is. You might get put in a position where I can't get help to you quickly."

"Everett! I want…to help…clear mine…and Lisa's names!"

"I know you do, honey, and you've already helped tremendously."

A sad look came over her face. "Then you…must think…I'm…mentally…limited."

"You are going to drive me to distraction." He stood up and walked around the table meeting her gaze from where she had also stood up. Cupping her face in his hands, Ev told her, "I do not think you are mentally limited, Missy. You know that."

Before Melissa could answer, they heard a sound at the door. It was Katie who had her hands on her hips. "Why is Mama crying? Did you make her sad, Daddy?"

Ev wiped the tears away before turning back to his daughter. "No Katie, we're just having a disagreement. Sometimes adults have those. It doesn't mean we don't love each other."

"That's right," said Missy. She motioned for both children to come to her, and she and Everett picked them up. "It's the same…as when you…and Matthew…fight over…a toy. You still…love Matthew…right?"

"Right," said Katie. She gazed at her father who was holding Matthew. "I love my buh-buh."

Grinning at his sister, Matthew said, "And I love my sissie." He leaned over and hugged his sister.

"All right, you two," said Linda who had been with them. "Time for bed. Tell your parents good night."

They did so, and the other three left leaving Missy and Ev to finish their conversation. Ev said, "It has nothing to do with whether I think you're capable or not, Missy. I'm just selfish. I don't want anything to happen to you. You understand that, right?" He put his arms around her and gently kissed her forehead.

"I do," said Missy. She pulled him close to her and kissed his lips. "What if I…promise…to wear…a transmitter? That way, you…could follow…me."

Nicholas interrupted them, with a fond chuckle. "I have a better idea, you two. What if I go with her?"

The other man turned to face him. "What did you have in mind?"

Motioning for them to sit again which they did, he began speaking. "I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier. I was invited to observe a physics demonstration tomorrow as well. It's after the botany one. What if I take the lass with me, and we start laying the groundwork? I think you're probably right that the person who framed them is still in place. If we start expressing opinions contrary to the government position, we might be recruited to join the group. Since they think she's already been discredited, it would probably be fairly easy. We'll both wear transmitters, and we'll activate them once we've found the element. That way, you can bring the military in—no risk to us. What do you think?"

Ev breathed deeply a couple of times and looked over at Gaius who was watching the scene bemusedly before answering. "I hate it when you're right. Ok, we'll do it this way. But…" He saw the excited look on his wife's face. "You have to promise that you'll activate the transmitter the minute you find it."

"I will, Ev. I will!" exclaimed Missy. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I should never get into these arguments with you. You always win." He reached over and squeezed her hand. "Let's plan this out." They spent the rest of the evening planning the operation, and by the time Gaius left, Everett felt better about the plans they had put in place. A few minutes later, he and Melissa had gotten ready to go to sleep and were lying in each other's arms on the bed. He turned her face towards him. "You do know you're a stubborn thing, don't you?"

"Yes," She kissed him. "But you…wouldn't…have it…any other…way."

He softly smiled at her. "You're right. You will promise me one other thing though?"

"What's that?"

"Be careful. I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

"I will. Are you…ready for…bed?"

"I am." He turned off the light and put his arms protectively around his wife. "Good night, Missy. I love you."

"I love you…too, Everett. Good night." The two of them drifted off to sleep wondering what the next day would bring.


	6. Chapter 6

The Mystery of the Missing Hyper-Drive Element – Chapter 6

A/N: I do not, and will not ever, own the SGU characters used in this story. The characters' names you are not familiar with though are original to me. Please read and review and let me know what you think. On with the story! 

Before Nicholas and Melissa left to attend the demonstrations the following morning, Everett came out of his office with two small devices. He told them, "These work best if they're placed on your hands," and gave one to each of them. They did so, and he continued, "All you have to do to activate it is press down hard. It's only made to last for two weeks, but if we're not done with this by then, it's not gonna happen. Do you have any questions?"

Observing where the device had dissolved into her skin, Missy looked back up and grinned at her husband. "No. No questions. And it's…not gonna…take two…weeks…either."

Ev chuckled. "Well, I know Ronald will be glad if it doesn't take two weeks." He nodded at the other man who was approaching them.

Extending his hand to both of them, Ron gave them a look of gratitude. "Melissa, Nicholas, thank you so much for doing this. I know Lisa will appreciate it too."

Missy reached out and hugged him. "Are you…going…to see…her this morning?"

"Yes, but I won't tell her anything specific—just that we're working on getting her out."

"That's a good idea," said Everett. He gazed at Melissa and Nick. "Erich will be here in just a few minutes. I thought I would have him take you this morning, and then you could hire a vehiculum to bring you back if you don't get any hits today."

Nicholas nodded with approval. "Excellent."

There was a knock at the door. "That would be him."

Ev answered the door while Missy and Nick told everyone else good-bye. Within minutes, the three of them were headed into the city. As they drove, Erich said, "Dr. Rush, I understand I'm taking you and Dr. Young to the Science Annex this morning."

"That's correct, and we'll make our own way back."

"Very good."

He continued to drive, and they arrived at the Science Annex twenty minutes later. Dr. Rush and Melissa went to watch the botany demonstration that she had been invited to and then went to the physics demonstration immediately afterwards. Once the speaker had finished demonstrating a theory similar to the Particle/Space Duality of Newton's Mechanics, Nicholas was approached by Phillip Gallus, director of the physics lab. "Fair day, Dr. Rush. I'm glad you were able to come, and I see you brought a guest." He held out his hand to Missy. "Fair day. I'm Dr. Phillip Gallus, director of the physics lab."

Melissa shook his hand. "Fair day. I'm…Dr. Melissa…Young. I…enjoyed…being here."

"Oh, I know of you. You're Ambassador Young's mate."

"Yes," said Nicholas. "Dr. Young has a combined degree in botany and physics. She's very talented, and I knew she would be interested in today's topic."

"Well, we are glad both of you could come. Would you be interested in sitting in on a lab class? Some of the top ranking students from our universitas will be there."

Nick and Missy gazed at each other knowing this would be the perfect opportunity for what they wanted to do. "Of course."

They walked with him to the student labs which were on the second floor. Once they had arrived, Gallus began his class while the other two observed from the corner. He introduced them to the students, and when the class got to the actual experimentation, had them pair up with different students so they could see how the lab process worked in an educational setting. Melissa was paired with a student named Athena and while they worked, the two of them began talking. Missy asked, "How…far are…you into…your studies…Athena?"

Athena, who was a friendly girl with short black hair, said, "This is my fourth year. How long did your studies take back on Earth?"

"For the…degrees I…received, I…studied for…a total…of nine years. I…enjoyed…the whole…process."

"Can I ask you a question?" At the other woman's affirming nod, she continued, "Did you have your speech difficulties then?"

"No, I didn't. Someone…hurt me…last…year…before…we came here."

"That's good. If you had been a student here, you wouldn't have been permitted to continue. The universitas has a rule that people with your difficulty aren't permitted to study here."

A shocked expression came over Missy's face. "Really? I don't…have any…problem learning. It just…takes me…longer…to get…my thoughts…out."

"I'm not saying I agree with it. Just saying that's how it is. There's an attitude especially among the older professors and government officials that people who have speech or mental difficulties don't have a place in the universitas or on Altera for that matter."

Thinking to herself that this might have been the reason for what happened before the Element X demonstration and that this might be an opportunity for the investigation to progress, Missy said, "That's not right! What do the younger people think?"

"Well, there's a variety of attitudes of course, but there's some of us that think the government needs to change some things—the laws about disabilities being one of them."

"Really? That's interesting."

A voice came from behind them. It was Nicholas who said, "Well, that's the second issue with the government that would be good to change."

Missy turned to her friend. "What's going on?"

"My lab partner was just telling me that the projects most likely to get funding were projects that would make a lot of armarium. Nothing for the pure advancement of science. Disgusting." He made a face showing his displeasure at the idea.

"Well, if you're interested," said Athena. "I might be able to get you an invitation to our group that's meeting in a few days. We talk about what we might do to change the laws."

Nick warmly smiled at her. "We just might be." He turned to Melissa. "What do you think, lass?"

Nodding approvingly, Missy replied, "I…would be…interested…in helping…people…like me."

"Great!" exclaimed Athena.

The groups continued to work, and at the end of the day, Dr. Gallus invited them to come back to the lab classes. They did so for the next two days, and finally, at the end of the second day, Athena approached Nick and Missy. "I got you an invitation to our meeting tonight. Can you come?"

"Sure!" said Melissa. She lightly touched the transmitter on her hand as that was the signal they had worked out with Everett so he would know they had gotten a hit.

They headed out of the Science Annex with Athena and a few of her friends. A few minutes later, they walked into an older building where Missy and Nick were surprised to see Phillip Gallus and Ariana Tiberius who came to greet them. "Fair evening, Dr. Rush. Fair evening, Dr. Young. We're glad you were able to come tonight."

Rush gave him an inquisitive look. "Dr. Gallus, I'm surprised to see you here."

The other two smiled pleasantly with Gallus saying, "You shouldn't be. Not every professor on the universitas staff or every scientist at the institute is in agreement with the policies that are in place. Some of us believe that the laws should be more equal for everyone."

"I see."

Motioning to some chairs, Ariana said, "Go ahead and have a seat. We'll talk with you some more after the meeting."

"All right." Once they were sitting, he leaned over and whispered to Missy, "I'm pretty sure this is a Par Pro Aulum meeting. I wonder if these kids know everything this group is doing."

Missy whispered back, "I doubt it. Let's…listen."

The two of them sat back as the meeting started and listened to all of the speakers that came up to the microphone. They knew for certain that the meeting was a branch of Par Pro Aulum by the time the second speaker finished as he exhorted the students to do things to make sure their voices were heard. As the speakers continued to come, the people in the audience enthusiastically cheered, and Melissa and Nicholas cheered along with them so they could maintain their cover. Once the meeting was over, Athena came up to them. "So, what did you think, Dr. Young?"

"It was…interesting…Athena. It…sounds like…your group…has a lot…of ideas."

She motioned to the people who had come up to them. "Oh, it's more than ideas. Dr. Gallus and Dr. Tiberius have given us some ways to make the government listen to what we want."

Gallus smiled pleasantly at the young student. "That's right. Athena, Stefan had a question about his assignment for the week. Can you go clarify that while we talk to Dr. Rush and Dr. Young?"

"Of course, sir."

When she had walked away, the other two took Missy and Nick to one corner. "We understand from some things you have said this week that you might be interested in our cause."

"And what cause might that be?"

"Don't be coy, Dr. Rush. You understand perfectly, or neither of you would have been invited to this meeting. We are hoping to change some things in Alteran society. The universitas students have their role to play, and then there are those of us who are doing more." Gallus gave them a penetrating look. "Having you and Dr. Young linked to our cause would be very beneficial. Your talents would be useful, and Dr. Young, you would not experience any more prejudice due to your disability as I know you experienced this week when you came to the Scientific Institute."

Melissa stared at him inquisitively. "You know…about that?"

"I know a lot about what goes on in the Institute and in the Annex—even things I'm not supposed to know." He gave them a knowing smile. "So, are you interested?"

"What would we need to do?" asked Nicholas.

"Well, the people in charge of our group would like to meet you, and you would need some training. We could leave tonight, and it would only take a few days. Dr. Young, you could call your mate, and assure him you were well as long as you didn't tell him exactly where you were."

"We didn't…bring any…stuff," said Missy.

"Quite all right. We could get you anything you needed. Do you want to come?

Nick and Melissa stared at each other for a moment in silent communication knowing this was the opportunity they had been waiting for. They nodded and then she looked over at Gallus. "We would…like to…come."

"Excellent!" He turned to Dr. Tiberius. "If you would, please direct Dr. Young to a communications device. Once she is done, we can go ahead and leave."

"Yes Sir," said Ariana. She motioned to Melissa who followed her. They walked to an office down the hallway. When they entered, she directed Missy's gaze to the desk. "You can use that one."

"Thank you," said Melissa. She picked up the device and dialed the number of the house. When she heard Everett pick up, she said, "Hi…sweetheart. We've been…offered…the…chance to go…take some…classes. We…should be…back in a…couple of days."

Ev's voice came over the line. "It sounds like a terrific opportunity. Go on and have fun. I've got things handled here. Would you like to say good night to the kids?"

"Sure."

The line was quiet for a moment, and then Missy heard Katie's voice. "Hi Mama. Daddy said you wanted to say good night."

"Yes, Katie. I'm…going to…be gone…for a…few days. Be…good for…Daddy…okay?"

"I will, Mama. I love you."

"I love…you too."

Once Matthew had also said good night, Everett came back on the line. "Honey, I'm guessing someone is with you, but can they hear me?"

"No."

"Okay. Please, please be careful, and do what we talked about once you've found it."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too."

Missy hung up and gazed back at Ariana. "I'm finished."

"All right."

She took the other woman back to where the men were waiting, and the four of them headed for a vehiculum. They got in, and Gallus drove through the city streets expertly. As they drove, Nick asked, "Where are we going?"

Phillip replied, "Probably a lot further than you think." He parked the vehiculum in the parking lot for the space port and motioned for them to get out. They started walking towards the port. "We have a special facility that's not on the planet."

"I see." They continued to walk through the port and were stepping onto a small spacecraft a few minutes later. While Phillip and Ariana went to talk with the pilot, Nick leaned over to whisper to Missy. "How far do our transmitters reach?"

Answering him in a quiet voice, Melissa said, "We used to use these same transmitters when we went through the gate so I would assume they would go as far as we would need them to. I wish I knew where we were going."

"Me too."

The other two came back, and the ship took off. It lifted up through the atmosphere and settled into orbit around the planet. Ariana noticed them looking around and smiled. "Our base is on Altera's second moon. It will take us a few hours to get there."

"Yes," said Phillip. "And that's when you'll get to meet the people responsible for our group and learn what they will want you to do."

Nicholas and Melissa both nodded with Nick saying, "We are looking forward to it," and with both of them wondering what would happen when they arrived at the headquarters of Par Pro Aulum. 

A/N: I will get the next update up as soon as I can. I will be finishing up this piece as well as working on my novel for NaNoWriMo so I don't know exactly when the update will be. Thanks to everyone who has kept up with this story so far.


	7. Chapter 7

The Mystery of the Missing Hyper-Drive Element – Chapter 7

A/N: I do not, and will not ever, own the SGU characters used in this story. The characters' names you are not familiar with though are original to me. Please read and review and let me know what you think. Sorry it has taken so long for me to get back to this one. I won NaNoWriMo and then was busy with Christmas and moving. We are finally settled, and it's time to continue the action. Two more chapters, maybe three. On with the story!

Excerpt from Chapter 6

The other two came back, and the ship took off. It lifted up through the atmosphere and settled into orbit around the planet. Ariana noticed them looking around and smiled. "Our base is on Altera's second moon. It will take us a few hours to get there."

"Yes," said Phillip. "And that's when you'll get to meet the people responsible for our group and learn what they will want you to do."

Nicholas and Melissa both nodded with Nick saying, "We are looking forward to it," and with both of them wondering what would happen when they arrived at the headquarters of Par Pro Aulum.

Chapter 7

Several hours later, the vessel approached Altera's second moon and flew around to the dark side where there was a space port. Once the ship had landed, Phillip went to the radio and spoke quietly into it while Ariana spoke with Nick and Missy. "There are several people here who are interested in having the laws changed on Altera. We are attempting to accomplish things peacefully, but sometimes, well, you know…."

Nicholas raised his eyebrows. "You do things not so peacefully?"

"Well, yes, but only as a last resort. Do you have a problem with that?"

The scientist gazed at Melissa for a long moment in silent communication before answering the other woman. "I think you need to do whatever you need to do."

"Excellent answer." Ariana saw that Phillip had finished and motioned for the others to join him. "Are we cleared to come in?"

Gallus smiled. "Of course. Our leaders are very interested in meeting our newest recruits." He motioned to the door. The four of them left the ship and walked into the space port where two men were waiting for them. He introduced the two guests to them. "Sirs, this is Dr. Nicholas Rush and Dr. Melissa Young. Dr. Young, Dr. Rush, this is Lucius Sabinus and Colin Balbus."

Holding out his hand, Nick said, "It's a pleasure to meet both of you."

Sabinus shook the hand he was offered. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well." He held out his hand to Missy. "And it's also a pleasure to meet such a lovely lady."

"Thank you," said Melissa. "You…have a…impressive… facility." She motioned to the building around them.

The other man nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, Dr. Young. Lucius and I thought you might want a tour of the main areas before turning in for the night. The real training will begin tomorrow."

"That sounds…interesting."

"Oh, it will be."

The four of them walked out of the port area and into the main part of the base. Balbus and Sabinus showed their visitors the main areas which included several labs, conference rooms, and physical fitness areas. When they arrived at what looked like dormitory quarters, Missy noticed a room down the opposite hallway that didn't have any other rooms around it. She touched Nick's shoulder indicating the presence of the room before turning to Sabinus. "What's in…that room?"

Lucius turned and saw the room she was indicating. "Oh, that's the room where we conduct our lab experiments that could turn out badly. By securing that room and having it away from the other ones, we've minimized the chance of injury to our personnel."

"I see."

Opening the door to the dorm, Colin motioned for the others to step in saying, "Let's go ahead and get you assigned quarters for the night." They walked down to what looked like a lobby where a young woman was sitting at a desk. "Sarah, could you please assign quarters to Dr. Rush and Dr. Young and get them whatever they need?"

"Of course, Sir," said the young black-haired woman who gave Nick and Missy a welcoming smile.

Balbus looked back at his visitors. "We'll let Sarah get you settled, and then we'll talk some more tomorrow. Is that all right?"

"That will be fine," said Nicholas." The others also told Nick and Missy good night, and it wasn't very long at all before Sarah had assigned the two of them quarters and brought them items they would need for a few days' stay. Once Sarah had left, he decided to go next door and talk with his compatriot. After knocking on the door and hearing the words, 'Come in,' he went in to see the woman he thought of as a daughter. "What do you think so far, lass?"

Melissa gazed over at him with an impish grin. "I think…they might...have made… it easy for… us, Nick. What kind…of bet…are you…willing…to take…that the…element…is in…the room…that's by…itself?"

Grinning back at her, he said, "You might be right. People who do stuff like this can sometimes be quite stupid. But, I'm sure we still need to be careful. The room is probably guarded, and if it's not, there's probably some kind of combination lock."

"Of course. When do…you want…to try…and search…for it?"

"Well, we should try and get the lay of the land so how about tomorrow night after we have had the chance to see everything?"

"That works. Have a…good night."

"You too, lass." Nick walked out of her room, and back to his.

The following morning Melissa woke up to see a fresh change of clothing hanging on the bathroom door. After being thoroughly creeped out that someone had been in the room while she had been asleep, she went into the bathroom, got cleaned up, and then got dressed. Once she had combed her hair and pinned it back, she went next door and knocked, walking in the room after she heard Nick's quiet, 'Come in.' Seeing that he was dressed in clothes similar to hers, she shook her head ruefully. "I guess…someone came…in your room…too."

He answered her in his Scottish brogue. "That they did, lass. I'm not sure how happy I am with that. It's lucky we didn't have anything with us to give us away."

"Very true. I…wonder…if someone…will come…and get us."

At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and Nicholas went to answer it, finding the girl they had met the night before when he opened it. "Fair day, Sarah."

The slim dark haired woman smiled at him warmly. "Fair day, Dr. Rush." She walked into the room and saw Missy standing there. "And fair day to you, Dr. Young. I was coming to your room next. Are you both ready for the morning meal?"

"We are," said Melissa.

They left the room and walked a couple of corridors over to a big room that Missy and Nick could tell served as a cafeteria for the group. Sarah went with them through the line, and they all got plates of food. They came over to a table where a few others were sitting and sat down to begin eating. A few minutes later, Phillip Gallus and Ariana Tiberius approached the table and greeted everyone with Gallus saying, "Fair day, Dr. Rush. Fair day, Dr. Young. I trust everything was satisfactory last night."

After gazing at Melissa and getting an affirming nod, Nicholas replied, "Everything was satisfactory. We appreciate you asking. What will we be doing today?"

"Well, we know your abilities in the laboratory are second to none so we don't need to evaluate that. We'd like you to attend some seminars about our group and what we are trying to do. We'd also like to evaluate your physical fitness and your weapons handling ability. Now, Dr. Young, I just want to make sure you understand that I'm not talking about your speech difficulties. We want to know how well both of you can run and climb—that kind of thing."

"I understand," said Missy.

"As do I," said Nick.

Phillip smiled at them. "Excellent. Let's get started."

He and Ariana led them to their first meeting where they heard Colin Balbus talk about the goals for Par Pro Aulum and how it was important to make the changes they wanted no matter the cost. By the time he was finished, Melissa was starting to get the idea that they wanted to overthrow Altera's government and install one of their own. She didn't have a chance to speak with Nicholas though because there wasn't any time that they were left alone to themselves. They went on to the physical fitness training and the weapons handling assessment where Missy especially impressed the instructor with how well she could shoot. By the time they got back to the conference room later in the day, they each had the impression that a big request was about to be made, and the leaders in the group didn't disappoint them. After they all sat back down at the conference table, Sabinus, who had joined them earlier, asked, "So, Dr. Rush, Dr. Young, what did you think of everything that you saw?"

"It was…quite interesting," said Melissa.

"Yes, it was," said Nick. He nodded pleasantly at the leaders of the group. "What are you going to want us to do next?"

"I'm glad to hear you ask that," said Lucius. "We are ninety-nine percent sure that we will need to form a government of our own, and it would assist us greatly if you would bring Earth's support to our cause."

"Earth's support?"

"Yes, if Dr. Young did a broadcast in support of Par Pro Aulum, a lot of people in the present government would be swayed to our cause, and it would be very easy to take control from the rest."

Dr. Gallus nodded as he spoke up with excitement in his voice. "I believe an Earth expression I have heard applies here. It would be like 'taking candy from a baby.' He gazed at Missy. "Is that the correct way to use the expression?"

Her eyes widened, as she thought of how to answer him, not having expected this development when she and Nicholas had gone undercover. "It is, but…you should…know…that any…statement…by me…really wouldn't…matter one…way or…the other. I'm…not…the ambassador, Everett…is."

The members of Par Pro Aulum all looked at each other before Sabinus stepped forward and spoke to Melissa assuredly. "Of course. You could speak to him about issuing a joint statement. That would work quite well. But, if he doesn't want to…" A look of predatory anticipation came over his face. "I believe a statement by you would still be beneficial. Would you be willing to do that?" We could allow you to call him tomorrow to set it up." He turned to Dr. Rush. "And of course, a statement by you, as Earth's leading scientist on Altera would also be beneficial. What do the two of you think?"

Missy and Nick gave each other knowing looks, but when Nick nodded briefly, Missy knew they needed to keep up their cover. "We can…do that. If you…want…I can…contact him…tomorrow."

"That will be fine," said Balbus. "Now, why don't we go ahead and get the evening meal? There will be some more members and recruits that you can meet."

They walked back to the cafeteria and got their meals with Nicholas and Melissa being very observant of where they were going and what everyone was saying about the plans of the group. Later that evening, Melissa was in her room and had just finished combing her hair when she heard a knock at the door. She said, "Come in," and the door opened to reveal Nicholas. "We have…a problem…don't we?"

"We do, lass." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I didn't realize we would be in the middle of a coup when I agreed to do this. I promised your husband I would look after you. Do you think we should have them extract us now?"

"Ugh." She sat down on the bed, motioning to Nick to sit on one of the chairs. "I was…hoping we…could find the...element…first so we…could clear… mine and Lisa's names. We could…wait for…everyone…to go to…bed and try…to search...the room…before…calling…them."

Shrugging his shoulders, Nick said, "We might want to go ahead and call them now. Remember, we're off planet. It's gonna take them awhile to get here."

"You're right. Go ahead."

They both pushed the transmitters in their hands. Once they had done so, Nick said, "Okay, it's done. Now, we just have to wait." They sat in the room for a couple of hours quietly talking to each other. When they noticed that the dormitory hallways had quieted, he said, "Are we ready to go play detective?"

"Sure, let me…put my…hair up." She put her hair in a pony-tail, and they quietly stepped out of the room into a deserted hallway. They carefully made their way out of the dormitory. When they reached the corridor which led to the secured room, Missy said, "All right…time to find…out what's…being hidden."

Nick grinned at her. "Exactly." They crept down to the room which was secured by a traditional Alteran lock. After taking a plastic card and wire out of his pocket, he fiddled for a few seconds with the lock before it clicked open allowing them access to the room. When they didn't hear an alarm go off, they cautiously crept into the room. Nicholas looked around in fascination at the room which appeared to be a typical science lab. "Wow, this place has every piece of testing equipment that a scientist could possibly want."

"It does, doesn't it?" She noticed a wall safe at the end of the room. "I wonder…if what we're…looking for…is in there."

"Only one way to know for sure." He went over to the safe and began trying to determine the combination. It took him a few minutes to figure it out, but once he did, he was able to open the door and reveal the contents to the two of them. Noticing a vial in the corner, Nick pulled it out and showed it to Melissa. "I think this is what we're looking for. What do you think?"

"I think you're…right. What…are we…going to…do with it…until the…others get here?"

"Well, we're not going back to our rooms." He placed the vial in a small box and then a bag they had brought for that purpose before closing and securing the safe. "Let's see if we can find a hiding place near the space port."

"I agree."

They turned to leave the room, but were startled to hear a voice come from the door. It was Lucius Sabinus who said, "I'm afraid I cannot allow that, Dr. Rush." He had Colin Balbus, Phillip Gallus, and Ariana Tiberius with him. The members of Par Pro Aulum came into the lab. "I am so disappointed. I thought we had two new converts to our cause, but you just came up here so you could steal from us."

Nicholas gave them a grim smile. "Well, gentlemen, and lady, and I use those terms loosely, we have another expression that we like to use on Earth. You win some and you lose some, and this would be the time…." He glanced at Missy giving a small motion towards the door. She nodded at him affirmatively knowing that they would only have one chance. "You have lost!" They sidestepped the others and ran for the door. Balbus took out a gun, and two shots rang out with the room almost immediately going into darkness….


	8. Chapter 8

The Mystery of the Missing Hyper-Drive Element - Chapter 8

A/N: I do not, and will not ever, own the SGU characters used in this story. The characters' names you are not familiar with though are original to me. Please read and review and let me know what you think. On with the story!

Moments later, the lights in the room came back on and revealed a struggling Melissa and Nicholas in the beefy hands of two security guards who had been right outside of the room. Sabinus, who had been punched in the face by Nicholas, spat out, "Bring them here!" He observed them for a long moment before turning to Gallus who was pressing a handkerchief against his hand. "Are you all right?"

"I am," said Phillip. "It's just a scratch."

"Very good." Sabinus and Balbus carefully walked around their prisoners before the former addressed Dr. Rush. "So, why did you come up here? On the behest of the government? Or just to steal the element…" He held up the vial. "And sell it on the black market?"

Missy interrupted, with a furious look on her face, "We came…up here…because…you framed…me and…my friend! I don't…like being…accused of…something…I didn't…do!"

"But we had our colleague who is still in the Scientific Institute send that letter having you released because we wanted to recruit you for our group. You weren't going to be convicted of anything."

She gave him an ugly look. "It would…have still…appeared…as if I…had stolen…it! It's the… same thing…as far as…I'm concerned! And Dr. Greer…is my…friend. She…didn't do…it either." She lifted her foot and stomped it down as hard as she could on his."

Sabinus howled in agony. "You little conia!" He waited while the guard restrained her. "You are much more trouble than you're worth. Maybe we should just throw you and Dr. Rush out the air lock. The government can find your bodies when they come." He noticed the guard and Balbus trying to get his attention. "What is it!"

Pulling up Missy's hair, Colin said, "I saw something silver glinting off the back of her neck. You might want to see this, Lucius."

The other man walked around to where Balbus was standing and examined Missy's neck. A calculating expression came over his face. "That is a memory suppressor. Now, what would someone not want you to remember?" He walked back around to where she could see him and instructed Balbus, "Take it out!"

Struggling in the grasp of the other guard who was holding him, Nick exclaimed, "Leave her alone!"

Lucius yelled to the guard, "Keep him quiet!" Then he looked back at Colin. "Go ahead."

Balbus dug into Missy's neck as she said, "Ouch! That hurts!" When his fingers were able to find a small silver device and pull it out, she went rigid in the guard's grasp, unable to move or respond.

He gave them all a grim smile of satisfaction. "That is much better." He got up in the paralyzed woman's face. "Who did this to you?"

When the device had been pulled out of Melissa's neck, her memory had immediately flashed back to the prison where she and Lisa had been taken after they had been arrested. Unbidden words came out of her mouth in a flat tone. "Brutus…Draco…at the prison."

"I see." He spoke to his accomplices. "Usually, when someone has had a memory suppressor placed, there is also a memory compeller." He faced Missy once more. "Where is your compeller?"

Her mind swimming, Melissa attempted to resist what her mind was telling her to do, but the programming was too strong. "Behind…right ear." She brought up her right hand and pointed at two different areas. "Weak…strong."

Lucius pressed the area behind her ear which she had labeled as strong and felt her body relax. He looked into her eyes and nodded with satisfaction at what he saw. "Okay, what are your instructions?"

With every synapse in her body feeling as if it were on fire, she answered him in a staccato-like voice. "If convicted…Brutus and Draco…will be my patrons…and I will be…their meritricis. Have coitis…with whoever…they say. No choice." She looked around bewilderedly having expected to see someone else. "Where…are…Brutus and…Draco?"

Forcibly turning her face back to his, Sabinus said, "You have been convicted and are in another prison. I am Lucius and…" He pointed to Balbus. "This is Colin. We will be your patrons, and you will have coitus with whoever we say. Do you understand?" He noticed her breathing hard as she tried to resist answering and told the others, "She has a very disciplined mind. It will make it all the more satisfactory when I bed her." He turned back to her and put his face close to hers. "I know you feel like you're burning up, don't you, Melissa? It will be easier if you quit fighting it." He put his mouth against hers and began kissing her barely noticing Dr. Rush continuing to struggle with the guard who was holding him.

Dazed and in pain from the pressure in the back of her head, Missy tried to picture her husband and children in her mind, but the pictures didn't fully form because of the pain. When she heard him say it would be easier if she quit fighting and he began to kiss her, she acquiesced and allowed his tongue entrance to her mouth. He kissed her for a few more moments before coming up for breath with a grin of satisfaction. "You understand now. Very good." Lucius motioned to the guard. "You can let go of her now. She will do as I say." The guard let go, and he put his arms around her. "Kiss me again." Missy immediately pulled him close to her, and they kissed each other passionately. After he allowed himself a few moments of touching the bare skin on her back, he broke the kiss once more. "Does that make the pain go away, my dear?"

Her head swayed from side to side. "Yes, Lucius. Are we going…to have…coitus?"

"Yes, as soon as you have been prepared for your new role on my base." He instructed Ariana and Phillip. "Take her to my room and dress her in appropriate clothing for a meritricis. Colin and I will be there momentarily, and we can all have her." He gazed back at Melissa. "Go with them, my dear. As long as you do what we say, there will be no pain. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lucius." She followed Ariana and Phillip out of the room obediently.

Once she had gone, Lucius turned back to Nicholas who had stopped struggling and was now staring at him with his eyebrows raised. Nick asked, "So, are you going to tell me what's going on now, or do I need to fill in the blanks?"

The other man chuckled sardonically. "If you're asking did I do that to her, of course not. But there isn't any reason I shouldn't take advantage. This does put you at a disadvantage now though."

"How so?"

"Well, I have a use for Dr. Young now. Because of the memory compeller, she will do whatever I say including broadcasting a statement of support for our cause. What I can't decide though, since I know I can't trust you now, is, should I just kill you or should I put one in you too."

Rush thought for a long moment before deciding not to tell him they had already signaled for help. He wanted them to be completely complacent until the government got there so he could help Everett pound this guy's smug face into the ground for what had happened. "Well, I guess you have to do what you have to do. It doesn't matter to me one way or the other."

Surprised at his lack of reaction, Lucius observed him trying to figure it out. When he couldn't, he said, "I'll think about it while I'm having fun with Dr. Young." He instructed the guards. "Take him back to his room and stand guard outside of it."

One of the guards, a man named Julian, replied, "Yes, Sir." He and the other guard motioned for Nicholas to come with them while Lucius and Colin secured the room once more. When they reached the dormitory room Nick had been using, Julian opened the door and indicated for him to go inside. "Otto and I will be outside. I would suggest you not try anything."

"I wouldn't dream of it," said Nicholas. He entered the room and shut the door in the guards' faces. Going to sit on the bed, he slumped in agony once he had done so trying to think of where things had gone so wrong. He realized that neither he nor Missy should have ever been involved with this as both he and Everett had thought something had been off with her since her release from the prison. Walking over to the closet, he saw his own clothes hanging there and decided to change back into them so he would be ready for whatever was going to happen. When he was finished, he alternated between sitting on the bed and pacing across the room trying not to think of what was happening to the woman he considered to be like a daughter to him. Hours passed. Remembering how long it had taken their ship to fly there, Nick closed his eyes. "Where are you, Everett? If you take much longer, your wife might not be here to come back to you."

At that moment, he heard sounds of shooting and an explosion. The door to the room also opened, and Nick hurried over to it to see two guards he hadn't seen before holding a slumped Melissa between them. He took her from them as one grinned lasciviously. "I understand she was quite good in bed. Maybe I'll be able to have her too once this situation is taken care of."

"You're a bloody idiot!" Rush gazed over at the entrance which was now empty. "What's going on?"

"Apparently, we've been invaded. Sabinus said all hands were needed for defense so I guess the two of you get to stay here."

"Swell." The guards ran off, and Nicholas took Missy over to the bed. Noticing she was in a short leather skirt and a top that barely covered her midriff, he thought, "Oh my God, lass, what happened to you?" He laid her on the bed and saw the cuts, scratches, and blood on her thighs, hips, and waist. "Damno! Everett is going to kill anyone who was involved with this, and if he doesn't, I will finish what he started." He saw her eyes open and try to focus on him. "Lass, it's me. You're gonna be okay."

Melissa tried to focus on the image in front of her. "Ni…ck?"

Tears came from his eyes. "Yes, lass."

She clutched at her stomach. "Hurts…bad. Where…are…we?"

"My room, but I think Everett finally has the troops here. Can you walk?"

"May…be." She sat up and then leaned into him heavily as they made their way to the door. Opening it, Nick saw that no one was there, and they slowly started in the direction of the space port. Five feet later, she said, "I'm going…to fall," and fell to the ground unconscious.

Nick caught her and lifted her in his arms telling her, "I'm gonna get you home, lass. I promise." He started walking a little faster and got closer to the sound of the shooting. After he rounded another corner, he was startled by several men aiming weapons at him. Seeing that one of them was Everett and that Gaius and Mac were with him, he said, "Whoa! Whoa! It's me, guys."

Signaling to the others to drop their weapons, Ev approached them with a look of agony on his face. "What happened? We got your signal, but it took us awhile to get the troops together." He helped Nick put his wife on the ground and caressed her cheek before turning back to him. "What happened?"

"We found the element, but we got caught. Then they found something in the back of her head and took it out. She acted funny, and Sabinus was able to get her to do what he wanted—something about some men at the prison. I think they took her out and assaulted her."

A stricken expression appeared on Everett's face. "Oh my God! The same thing happened to her that happened to Lisa!"

His eyes widening, Nicholas replied, "What happened to Lisa?"

Gaius finished quietly speaking into the radio he had in his hand before answering. "The nearest we've been able to figure out is that both of them were assaulted at the prison."

"Yeah," said Mac. "Lisa's in the hospital in surgery right now. When we left, Dr. Giovanni told us she didn't know how long the surgery was going to take."

"That's right." He touched Ev's shoulder in support. "The rest of the troops are converging on the main body of resistance. We should get her back to the ship."

"We should," said Everett. He gave them a look of firm resolve. "And then I'm going to go back in there and find the people who did this and tear them apart!"

He picked Melissa up and headed back in the direction he had come from with the other three men following him. A few minutes later, they were back at the space port and inside one of the medium-sized shuttles that was sitting there. The pilot turned to them as Gaius asked, "Have you had any problems, Lieutenant?"

"No Sir."

Everett laid his wife down on one of the beds in the med bay. He tenderly kissed her forehead before turning back to the others and addressing Gaius. "How long do you think until this is finished?"

The other man replied, "Not long. In fact…" His voice trailed off as they all heard his radio sound. He spoke quietly into it for a few moments and then told the person on the other end they would be there momentarily. When he finished, he told the others, "That was one of the other commanders. They have found the hyper-drive element and have gathered the remaining terrorists in the two main conference rooms. There are many injuries and fatalities, but there are also several who are uninjured. Do you wish to confront them?"

"Yes, if…" He gazed at Nicholas. "You'll watch her." He indicated Melissa.

Mac touched Ev's shoulder. "You might want to let him come too. You haven't told him yet, and he might want his own confrontation."

Giving them both confused looks, Nick asked, "What are you talking about?"

Everett glanced at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Nick. I've just been so focused on getting to Missy. When we got your signal, we were actually just finding out about what happened to Lisa. I won't go into all the details, but we had to call a medical vehiculum to the house. Ron and TJ got in the vehiculum with her, and I called Erich to bring the car for the rest of us. He got there ten minutes later. Linda, Mac, and I ran out there with the kids. Linda got in and motioned for Mac to hand her Livvy, but Erich told her to wait—he had just found a black box underneath the driving wheel. When he lifted it up, he saw a timer counting down. It was a bomb. She didn't hesitate—told Erich to drive the car as fast as he could so the kids wouldn't get hurt. And he did—they managed to get about two miles away before the car exploded. It was an inferno. I had the kids stay with Mac, and I got as close as I could. Erich is gone." He struggled not to cry. "Linda fortunately had been thrown clear." He saw the look of horror on Nicholas' face. "She's still alive, but she's in critical condition. We need to get back as soon as we can."

"Oh my God! Who's got the kids?"

"Ron and TJ are camped out with them in the waiting room at the hospitium. And Gaius here called Leia before we left. She and her sister were going to come and help."

"Good." A furious look appeared on Nick's face. "Yes, I do want to come with you to get my pound of flesh, and then we can leave, right?"

"That's the plan." He turned to Gaius. "Are the other commanders going to lock everything else up?"

Gaius nodded briskly. "They are. We should go to where they are holding the prisoners."

"Agreed."

The three of them left the ship and quickly walked to the center of the complex. Moments later, they entered one of the conference rooms where they saw a group of about ten people sitting on the floor. One of the Alterans approached Gaius. "Commander Aurelius, everything is under control here."

"Very good, Commander," said Gaius. He motioned to the people on the ground. "Who are these people?"

Before the other commander could answer, Nicholas spoke up, giving the group a look of disgust. "Those are the leaders of the group—Lucius Sabinus, Colin Balbus, and the other ones are the ones that recruited us on Altera-Phillip Gallus and Ariana Tiberius. I'm guessing the others are members of the group too, but I don't know who they are."

Observing the group carefully, Sabinus smiled when he recognized Everett. "Ambassador Young, I see you came for your wife. I'll have to tell you she was quite good in bed. She did everything we wanted her to do."

Ev walked over to him, lifted him by the shirt, and punched him twice. "That was because of the thing in her head, you idiot. If I have anything to say about it, none of you will ever see the light of day again."

"I quite agree, Ambassador," said Rush, "And I have one additional question. Which one of you planned the vehiculum bombings on Altera?"

Phillip Gallus raised his hand. "That was my handiwork. It really made people pay attention to us." He gave them a grin of satisfaction.

Going over to him, Nick punched Phillip several times until he was lying on the floor holding the side of his face. Then he got up in his face. "If my mate dies, I promise, I will find you and kill you." He stood back up and gazed at Everett and Gaius. "Okay, I'm done."

"Very good," said Gaius. He told the other commander, "Coordinate with the others, and make sure you find everything that's hidden here. And then transmit all the information you find back to Altera."

"Yes, Sir."

The three men left the conference room and went back to the space port. After they had reentered the ship, Gaius ordered the pilot to take off and head for Altera while Nicholas and Everett went to the medical bay where Mac and two medical technicians had been staying with Melissa. He noticed that she was moaning and clutching her stomach like she was in pain and asked, "How is she doing? She looks like she's in pain."

Mac replied, "She's been doing that for the last ten minutes, ever since they put her in the hospital gown."

One of the technicians, whose name was Julia interrupted him, "We've examined her, Sir, and I can tell you that some type of sexual assault occurred. I need to ask you another question. Is there a chance she could be pregnant?"

Barely noticing that the ship had begun its journey back to Altera, Ev wondered how many more things he could be hit with before he would go crazy. "We weren't doing anything to prevent it so yeah, it's possible." He felt Nick's hand touch his shoulder in support.

Nodding briskly, Julia replied, "We'll keep an eye out for that." She pointed to Mac. "Lieutenant McDonald was telling us that she has a memory compeller in her head. That needs to come out as soon as possible."

"I know. The plan is to take her straight to the hospitium as soon as we land."

"Very good."

Everett sat down in the chair next to his wife and laid his hands gently over hers. "I'm here, baby. It's okay. You're gonna be okay." He continued to talk to her as they journeyed towards Altera. A few hours later, her moaning and thrashing became louder, and Julia came back over to examine her. Standing up, he moved so the technicians could examine her more easily and noticed the blood pouring out of the center of her body. When she started making movements that reminded him of when she had been in labor with their twins, he spoke up. "Get a towel or something! Hurry! I think she's going to miscarry." Grabbing a blanket out of a cabinet, Mac handed it to him, and he placed it under Missy just in time to see a very small fetus come out of her body. "No! Oh God! No!"

He started weeping as the technicians cleaned her up. Gaius and Nick ran in from where they had been sitting at the front of the ship with the pilot. Nick asked, "What happened?"

"She miscarried. She was pregnant. I shouldn't have let her touch this thing with Par Pro Aulum. This is my fault."

"It is not. It's that idiot Sabinus' fault and all the other ones who participated."

"He's right," said Gaius. "And I will make sure this is written in the charges that will be brought against him."

Nodding in gratitude, Ev said, "Thank you. I appreciate that. He felt someone touch his shoulder. Turning to see Julia, he asked, "What is it?"

Julia pointed toward the bed where they could see the other technician with Melissa who was now staring at them with wide blue eyes. "I thought you'd want to know that she was awake."

"Thank you." He wiped his eyes and walked to the bed. Going over to the other side of it, he sat down and took her hand in his. "Hi honey. It's me, Everett. You did it. You found the element and cleared yours and Lisa's names."

Missy had awoken in a horrific haze of pain and was now trying to process the images before her. She struggled to talk. "Ev…really you?"

"Yeah, Missy, it's me. How do you feel?"

"Hurts…really…bad."

"I know." He gently stroked her face. "I'm taking you home, and we're gonna get you fixed up." Memories started coming back to Melissa—memories of giving in to the men of Par Pro Aulum to make the pain in her head go away, memories of breaking the vows she held most sacred, memories of the vile things that had been said and done in that room. She turned from her husband in shame, not wanting him to see the tears coming down her face. Turning her face back to his, Everett saw the tears. Ever since they had been together, he had never liked seeing her cry and liked it even less now. He cupped her face in his hands. "Baby, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Broke…vows. So…sorry. Will…you…forgive me?"

Horrified to hear the words come out of her mouth, he realized she must be remembering what had happened and what it must seem like to her. He gave her a determined look. "No Missy, you didn't break our vows. I promise. You didn't. The men at the prison assaulted you—put something in your head that made you…" He choked out a sob and then leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "In my heart, you were raped, and I don't consider it any other way, and I want you to think that too, okay?" She nodded at him, but continued to cry shaking with pain and sadness. Sitting next to her on the bed, Ev gathered her in his arms. "It's gonna be okay. I promise." He started to softly sing a song that had been in the last packet from Earth, a song that, if he remembered correctly, was sung by a young woman who also acted in a television show. His wife had fallen in love with it and had sung it so many times that Katie and Matthew had learned it too. "I don't want to make a scene. I don't want to let you down. Try to do my own thing. And I'm starting to figure it out. That it's alright. Keep it together wherever we go. And it's alright, oh well, whatever. Everybody needs to know. You might be crazy. Have I told you lately that I love you? You're the only reason that I'm not afraid to fly. And it's crazy that someone could change me. Now, no matter what it is I have to do, I'm not afraid to try. And you need to know that you're the reason why." He continued to sing the song rocking her back and forth and then sang every other song he could think of.

A/N: The words that you're not familiar with are Latin. The meanings are easily figured out by the context, but you can use a Latin to English translator if you're curious. Also, the song I quote at the end is a song called 'You're the Reason' by Victoria Justice.


	9. Chapter 9

The Mystery of the Missing Hyper-Drive Element - Chapter 9

A/N: I do not, and will not ever, own the SGU characters used in this story. The characters' names you are not familiar with though are original to me. Please read and review and let me know what you think. On with the story!

When they arrived back on Altera, she was calmer as the medical technicians loaded her onto the medical vehiculum. Everett, Mac, Nicholas and Gaius got into the vehiculum with her, and it drove over to the hospitium rapidly. Dr. Giovanni met them on their arrival. "I received the message when your shuttle landed. Does Melissa have a compeller too?"

"She does, and you should also know…"He pointed to Mac who handed the aide who had come with her a blanketed bundle. "She had a miscarriage on the way back so you might have to do some stuff with that too."

"Oh no! Okay, thank you for telling me. Let's get her up to surgery."

Everett nodded and bent down to the stretcher where Melissa was still gripping his hand. "Missy, we're home. Stacia's gonna fix you up, and I'll be there when you wake up."

Weakly squeezing his hand, Missy nodded. "Love you…Ev."

"I love you too, honey. Always." He indicated for Stacia to take the stretcher, and she and her aide headed for an elevator that would take them up to the surgical wing.

The four men headed for the visitor elevator which took them up to the waiting room. While Nick went to ask about his wife, the others went to a corner where they could see three adults sitting, and three children nestled on a blanket together. When they got close enough, the blonde woman looked up and smiled wanly. "Mac, you're back." She got up and walked to her husband giving him a hug. Then she greeted Everett and Gaius asking, "How did it go? Did you find Melissa and Nick?"

"We did," said Everett. He looked around at the scene and realized someone was missing. "Where's Ronald?"

TJ shook her head sadly. "I don't know. He kind of went nuts after Stacia came out after Lisa's surgery and told him she had miscarried."

"What! Missy was pregnant too. She miscarried on the way back."

She reached out her hand and grabbed Ev's hand squeezing it in support. "I'm so sorry, Everett. Anyway, Ron said he didn't deserve Lisa anymore after all the things he had said to her, and he left. I would have gone after him, but Katie and Matthew were really scared after seeing the explosion and what happened to Erich and Linda."

"That's probably wise." He greeted the other women that were sitting there. "Hello Leia. And this must be your sister."

A slim dark-haired woman named Leia Caligula wearing a uniform designating service in Altera's space corps stood up. "Hello Everett. I am so sorry about everything." She pointed to the other woman. "Yes, this is my sister Elizabeth."

The other woman stood up and held out her hand which Ev shook. "Hello, Ambassador. It's a pleasure to meet you, but I wish it wasn't under these circumstances."

"I do too." He spoke to all three of them, motioning to the kids. "How did they do?"

TJ responded, "Livvy was clueless. She went right to sleep after I fed and changed her. Katie and Matthew, well, like I said, they were scared especially when you left right after we got here. We did everything we could to reassure them—said you were going to bring Mama back. Finally, we let them have those pastries they liked from the cafeteria, and they calmed down. We let them lay down together, and they seemed to like that."

"Good. I owe you. Thanks for taking care of them." They nodded in response as the men sat down with them to wait. Everett leaned down to the blanket and touched his daughter's hair. She stirred slightly and opened her eyes. When Katie saw her father, her eyes widened, and she started to speak. Ev put his finger to his lips. "Shh, munchkin, you don't want to wake Matthew and Livvy up."

The dark-haired toddler sat up and gave her father an excited look saying in a quiet voice. "Daddy, you're home." She climbed up in his lap. "Did you get Mama?"

"I did, but some bad men hurt her. Dr. Stacia is fixing her right now."

Katie stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "Why bad men hurt Mama? That's not very nice. Do Matthew and I have to say leave Mama alone?" She looked around like the bad men would jump out at her.

The adults all chuckled. "No Katie. The good guys caught them, and they'll never hurt anyone again. We just have to help Mama until she feels better. Will you be a good helper?"

"Sure Daddy."

They all settled back to wait. A few minutes later, Nicholas walked up to them. Everett updated him on what was going on with Lisa, Ron, and the kids while he told them what was going on with Linda. He said, "I'm going to sit with Linda. I just wanted to make sure you knew where I was. Will you let me know when the lass is out of surgery?"

"I will," said Ev. "And you tell Linda we're all pulling all for her."

"I will. Thank you."

For the next few hours, they alternated between sleeping and taking care of the kids. When it was dawn, Mac, TJ, Leia, and Elizabeth offered to take the children down to the cafeteria which left Gaius and Everett in the waiting room alone. After they had left, Gaius turned to Everett. "How are you holding up?"

"Okay, I guess. Just trying to figure out how I'm going to report this fuck-up to Earth." He gave Gaius a sideways look. "Missy and Lisa's names are cleared now, right? There won't be any more problems because of that?"

Gaius shook his head. "I spoke with Leopold right before we left. He was going to facilitate the process. And I got a call from him a little while ago after they got the report from the officers that were still at the base. You will be getting a formal apology from the government along with complete coverage of any medical costs incurred."

"Good. I wonder if…."

His train of thought was interrupted by the security guard who had appeared before them. "Ambassador Young?"

"Yes."

"We took a member of your staff into custody a few hours ago at the imbibo talea a few blocks from here. He was very intoxicated, and we took him to the excolo station so it could wear off. It's just been in the last few minutes that he's been able to tell us that his mate was a patient here."

"You're talking about Ronald Greer, right?"

"Yes."

"Where is he?"

He pointed to the desk where Ron was standing with another officer. "We just wanted to make sure it was you before turning him over."

Everett stood up. "That's fine. You can turn him over to me. Is there a penalty?"

"No, after he told us about his mate, everyone felt sorry for him. All of the charges were dropped."

"Thank you." He walked over to where Ron was, and the officers said farewell to them. Ev then gazed at Ron. "This is probably a stupid question, but I have to ask it. You doing okay?"

Ronald looked at him sadly. "No. When Dr. Giovanni came out and said that Lisa had miscarried along with everything else, I went crazy. You knew we'd been trying, right?" At Everett's affirming nod, he continued, "Well, when I found out about the guards at the prison sleeping with her and her saying that it was part of them being her patron and acting like it was totally natural, I said some terrible things to her. I didn't know that anything had happened. I just thought she had just thrown our marriage away. And then she had those pains in her head and collapsed. Before she lost consciousness, she said she was sorry and that she loved me, and I didn't say anything to her. She probably thinks I don't love her anymore." An expression of agonized pain came over his face. "And that is the most untrue thing that's ever been said, but I don't know how to fix it. That's why I got drunk. I'm sorry." He looked around the waiting room. "Where is everyone?"

"Mac, TJ, Leia, and Elizabeth took the kids to get something to eat."

"How did it go with the terrorists? Did you find Melissa and Nick and the element?"

"Yes to all of it. And when we were coming back, Missy had a miscarriage too. Ron, I am so sorry, but you can fix it. All you have to do is tell Lisa everything you told me. You know, Missy had one of those things in her head too, and the way I'm processing it is that she was raped by those men in the terrorist group. If you think on it like that, you'll be able to start healing."

The younger man nodded determinedly. "I'll do it. Thank you, Everett. Have you gotten any updates?"

"No." He saw Stacia walking towards them. "But this might be one." She came and stood in front of them. "Hello, Everett, Ronald. Everett, Melissa's surgery was successful. We got the compeller out and cleaned up everything from the miscarriage. You shouldn't have any problem trying to conceive again. It will take her awhile though to recover from the hormonal imbalance."

"I understand. Can I go sit with her? I promised I would be there when she woke up."

"Of course."

Stacia started to walk off, but stopped when Ronald touched her arm. "What about Lisa? How is she doing?"

She took in his bloodshot eyes and nodded sympathetically. "Her situation was a bit more complicated because the memory suppressor was still in her brain along with the compeller. And she had the miscarriage during surgery like I said before. But I got everything fixed, and she's going to be okay. When she wakes up though, she's going to be very confused because she's going to remember everything that's happened over the last week including what happened at the prison. And probably feel very guilty and ashamed. You'll need to be ready to support her. Can you do that?"

"I can."

"Good, I'll show you what rooms they're in."

The doctor showed them to their wives' rooms, and after Ev told Ron he would talk with him in a while and asked Stacia to tell the visitor's desk to tell the others where they were, he walked into his wife's room. Sitting down in a chair next to the bed, he took Melissa's hand in his. "Hi baby. I'm here." The surroundings of the hospitium room were very similar to every other hospital he had ever been in, and he noticed how pale his wife's skin was against the sheets. "You know, we really have to stop doing this. Have I ever told you how much I hate sitting in these places?" When he saw that his wife wasn't going to answer, he continued, "That's all right. You need your rest, but you also need to know how much I love you—how much I am always going to love you." He noticed Missy blink her eyes a few times. "Come on honey, wake up. I'm right here." Her eyes focused on him. "Oh thank God. How are you feeling?"

Melissa heard a voice as she returned to consciousness and then opened her eyes to see her husband smiling at her. "I feel…very weak."

"That's understandable. You've been through a lot." He saw a look of panic and then shame come across her face. When she turned it away from him, he turned it back. "Uh, uh, you don't get to do that. I know all of it, Missy, or I've figured most of it out. I don't care. I'm just glad you're gonna be okay. Do you remember anything about being on the ship with me?"

She thought for a moment, scrunching her forehead. "Yes…you said…they put…something in…my head."

"Yes, at the prison."

A look of abject misery crossed her face. "It was…Brutus…and Draco. They…were going…to make me…have coitus…with…whoever…they…said. How can…you not…care about…what hap-pened…with Par Pro Aulum? You don't…know…what…I did."

Everett leaned over and gently kissed her forehead before answering her. "I don't care because I love you. And even if it might not seem that way to you, I'm thinking of it like you were raped. That's why I don't care. I know you hold our vows as sacred as I do and that you wouldn't have gone to them willingly." He noticed the uncertain look on her face. "Do you want to tell me?"

"Yes…because…I need to…know…you don't…blame me."

"Blame you for what?"

"For what…happened."

He reached out and squeezed both of her hands. "I don't, but I think you need to tell me so go ahead."

"Okay. After they…took me…from where…Nick…was, my mind…was…in a fog. We…went to…Arianna's…room, and…she…told me…to change…clothes. I did, and…we went…to Lucius' room. It…didn't take…long for the…rest of them…to show up and…he said…he was…going…to have me…first. We…had…coitus, and…I didn't…have…any pain. But, when…we were…done, he gave…me this…weird look, and…went in…the…corner with…Colin. He said…she's pregnant…and…asked…him…why I…didn't say. Colin…looked at…me…and said…she…doesn't know. Lucius said…it wouldn't…work…if I was…pregnant…and then said…he had…heard…that rough sex…could make…women…lose…their babies. Then…I…could be…a meritricis…for them. He…came back…over…and said…that they…were all…going…to have coitus…with me…and that…I deserved…what…they did." Tears started to form in her eyes. "The pain…in my…head was…already…starting to…come…back…so I did…what…they said…and…it really hurt…but…I thought…I deserved it. Then…when the…shooting…started, they…took me…back to Nick. Can…I ask…you a…question?"

Everett, who was crying as well, tenderly kissed each of her hands. "Sure, baby."

"Am…I…pregnant…or was…I…pregnant?"

Considering his answer for a long moment, Ev thought about not saying anything as he could see that it was going to take his wife a long time to recover from what had happened. But, he also knew that they had always had a policy of being honest with one another, and he didn't want to lie to her about something so important. With a sad look in his eyes, he said, "Yes you were, honey, but you miscarried on the way back here."

She started to shake with sobs. "No….no….no! It's my fault! I…killed our…baby!"

"That's not true! I promise! That's not true!" He started to put his arms around her, but was surprised when she turned away. "What's wrong?"

"I can't…I can't…let you…hold…me right now. I don't…deserve…it." Missy turned on her side and began to hysterically sob.

Gazing at her helplessly, Everett reached the end of his rope. He bent down next to her back. "Please, oh God, please Missy, don't shut me out. We need to hold onto each other right now. You didn't deserve any of this, and I don't blame you for anything. So much has happened. I don't know what I would do…"

His voice trailed off as he saw his wife's hopeful face turn toward him, eyes streaked with tears. "You really…don't…blame me?"

"No, I don't. Honey, it took so long for us to get together, I couldn't imagine blaming you for this. Actually, I blame myself. If I had told you no about this thing with Par Pro Aulum, you might still be pregnant."

Melissa touched her husband's hand. "It's not…your fault…Ev."

Glad she had reached out; he took her hand and brought it to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss. "Can we agree it's not your fault either and begin healing?"

Her mind pulled in two directions; Missy stared at him for a long moment before answering. What had been done to her was horrific in every sense of the word, and it was hard not to do what her mind said which was to push everyone away. On the other hand, the bond she had with Everett had been there for many years, and she knew, in her heart, that it would help her start to heal. She sat up part way and held out her arms. "Yes."

"Oh, thank God." He sat down on the bed, gathered her in his arms, and held her as both of them cried, mourning what had been lost. They stayed that way for what seemed like hours to Ev, but he didn't regret any of it because he knew the hole that would have been in his heart if something had happened to the love of his life. Melissa had just cried herself to sleep when there was a quiet knock at the door. Everett responded just as quietly. "Come in."

Nicholas Rush entered the room and walked over to the bed. Pointing to Missy, he asked, "How is she? Has she woken up yet?"

"She did. Just cried herself to sleep. It was pretty bad, Nick. They made a point of making sure she would lose the baby."

A look of fury replaced the look of despair. "What! Did Gaius tell you where they were going to keep the prisoners? I have more things I would like to say and….do."

Everett gave him a grim smile. "Me too. What's going on with Linda?"

The look of despair came back. "That's why I'm here. She's gone."

"Oh no. I am so sorry."

"Thank you. I told her everything that had happened with the lass, and she made me promise, made me promise not to give up. Said that we were all a family and that you all would need me."

Nodding briskly, he replied, "She's right. Do you need help with anything? Missy should sleep for a while, and I need to check on the kids."

"The hospitium liaison is starting the arrangements. I had a question for you though. That's why I'm here."

Standing up, Everett gave his wife a kiss before turning to Nick. "What is it?"

"Well, I was wondering if you were going to bury…" He motioned to Melissa. "You know. Because if you are, I was wondering if we could put both the babies in Linda's casket. So they can have an escort…you know…" His voice broke, and tears started coming down his face. "To heaven."

"Of course." He put his arm around Nicholas' shoulders as tears came down his face as well. "They'll need their grandma. Come on. Let's go see Stacia."

The two men quietly left the room and went to see Dr. Giovanni as well as the person handling the arrangements for Linda's funeral. As soon as they had done that, they went back out to the waiting room. When Matthew and Katie saw them, Matthew yelled out, "Daddy! Grandpa Nick!" The children ran to them, and each man picked up a child. "How's Mama, Daddy? Can we see her?"

Katie spoke up as well. "And how's Grandma Linda? I want to see her too."

Both men gave each other sad looks before sitting down with the children. The other adults noticed their reactions, and TJ gasped as Mac put his arm around her and Olivia. Everett addressed the children. "Mama's doing better. She's just going to be very sad for a while, and we'll need to be very gentle with her."

"What about Grandma Linda?" The young toddler gazed up at her father, her eyes full of worry.

"Do you remember me telling you about Erich and him going to heaven?"

"Yes, Elizabeth said it was the same as going to aura." She started crying. "Is Grandma Linda there now too?"

"Yes." The children both started crying, and the adults showed varying degrees of emotion on their faces too.

TJ asked, "Have you started making arrangements, Nick?"

The older man nodded his head. "The hospitium liaison has helped out tremendously, and we're going to put, you know…"He spoke quietly. "The babies in the casket with her. We also talked to Stacia. She said the lass and Lisa should be okay to go to the funeral in hover chairs in two days so that's when it's going to be."

"Good." She motioned to Mac. "Didn't Gaius leave a message for Everett with you?"

Mac nodded. "Yes. Everett, Gaius had to go see Leopold. He said you could call him if you needed anything."

"Thank you," said Everett. He turned towards Leia who had joined them. "I really appreciate all of your help."

"You're welcome," said Leia. "I was going to tell you that we could still help if you needed us and that it might be helpful if the children were taken home."

"I agree. I want to take them to see Missy if she's awake, and then you can take them home."

"Very good."

Turning back to the kids, Ev said, "Ok, we're going to go see Mama, and then you two are going to go home with Uncle Mac, Aunt TJ, and Leia and Elizabeth."

"Sure Daddy," said Matthew.

The group stood up, and Nicholas and Everett each took a child by the hand as they walked to Melissa's room. When they got to the entrance, TJ said the rest of them would wait outside. Before they went in, Ev bent down to both children. "Ok, if Mama is awake, you have to be very gentle with her. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Daddy," said Katie.

After Matthew nodded in agreement, Everett smiled at them. "Okay." They walked into the room quietly. When they got close enough to the bed, he saw his wife open her eyes and greeted her. "Hi honey. I have some people that want to see you."

He and Nick picked up the children so she could see them. When Katie saw her mother, her eyes lit up. "Hi Mama. You feel better?"

Melissa, who was still very weak, smiled at her. "A little…bit, munchkin. Are…you…being…good?"

Her son eagerly nodded. "Yes Mama." He pointed to the space next to her. "Can we lay down with you? We'll be gentle. I promise." He gazed at her hopefully.

"Sure, Matthew." The men lifted the children up on the bed, and they lay down next to their mother. She stroked both of their heads before reaching out to squeeze her husband's hand. Then she noticed the tear tracks on her daughter's cheek. "What's wrong…Katie? Why were you…crying?"

Katie pursed her lips and started talking, not seeing the men frantically shaking their heads. "I was crying because of Grandma Linda going to aura like Erich."

It took a moment before Katie's words registered with her mother, and then Melissa looked over at her husband with a sad expression on her face. "I guess…you have…more you need…to tell me, right?"

Ev nodded solemnly. "Yes." He told her everything that had happened since she and Nick had left Altera. By the time he had finished, he saw tears coming down her face once more. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, just…very sad. Are you…going to…let them…go home?"

"Yep. Stacia said that you and Lisa could go to the funeral in hover chairs in two days so that's when we're going to do it. And Nick and I thought it would be nice if we buried the babies with her. Is that okay?"

"It is."

Telling the kids it was time to go, he had the others take them home while he continued to spend time with his wife.

* * *

><p>Two days later, the group from Earth was at the sepultura locus which was a few miles outside of the capital city of Altera. It was a perfectly sunny day with no clouds in the sky and Altera's three moons visible in the distance. Everyone was quiet as the Alteran praeter spoke giving blessings on the souls who had departed this world. Missy gazed at the capulus sadly thinking of how much her life had changed and thought to herself, 'Thank you Linda for everything you did for me and my family. Take care of the babies until we see you again.' She looked at Lisa who was staring at the scene numbly and her heart ached for the gulf she saw between Lisa and her husband. Her gaze shifted to Everett who was holding Katie and Matthew, and she saw the sadness he was struggling not to express. She touched his shoulder, and when he turned to look at her, mouthed the words, 'I love you.' He nodded in thanks as the praeter finished by saying, "I think Ambassador Young wanted to say a few words."<p>

Everett stood up and motioned for the children to sit in the chairs. Then he approached the capulus and turned back to his family and friends. "We have lost a lot in this past week—losses that make it difficult to go on. But we will go on—we have to. We're a family and nothing changes that." He motioned to the capulus and to one that was a short distance away awaiting burial. "Linda and Erich chose to save five lives the day the bomb went off including the lives of the children. I will always be grateful." He saw Melissa start to get up and gave her a reproving look, but then, noticing her look of determination, went to help her walk to where he was. "Did you want to say something, Missy?"

Nodding determinedly, she started speaking. "We can't…allow our…hurt hearts…to keep us from reaching out…for help. If we do…Linda and Erich…died for…nothing." She held out her hand, echoing the gesture they had formally done on the Destiny. "To family!" The ones that had come from Earth all started walking one by one to join her, placing their hands over hers. Missy gazed at Ron and Lisa for a long time before Lisa allowed her husband to help her up and walk the short distance to them. Once they had done so, they placed their hands on the rest of the group's, and all of them said as one, "To family!"

A/N: This marks the end of this story. Thanks for making the journey with me. As I said with the last chapter, the words you are unfamiliar with are Latin which I've chosen to represent the Alteran language. The meanings should be fairly clear from the context, but if you can't figure it out, a Latin to English translator should be helpful.


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